Nick Nurse still evaluating Sixers’ wing position: ‘We’ve got to go with our gut’

Nick Nurse watched from the sideline as a group of 76ers — including Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, KJ Martin, Danuel House Jr., and Jaden Springer — flew up and down the court for extra scrimmaging following Friday’s practice.

It was the latest step in assessing the ongoing position battle at wing that, four games into the season, already has been reshuffled thanks to the James Harden trade.

“I can only evaluate what I see,” Nurse said while taking a break from watching that contact work. “So I’ve got to pay attention. I’ve got to give them some chances in games, and then we’ve got to go with our gut a little bit.”

Nurse’s gut for Thursday’s rematch against the Toronto Raptors led him to Furkan Korkmaz, who finished with 10 points, three steals, and a plus/minus of plus-16 in his first meaningful action of the season. He also was responsible for some of the game’s top highlight and momentum-swinging sequences.

Late in the second quarter, he tapped a Dennis Schroder pass away near the top of the key for a steal, then got the ball back for a transition dunk. On the Sixers’ next possession, he buried a three-pointer that put his team up by nine points. Then, he converted a nifty reverse layup through contact as the third-quarter clock expired.

“Just super stable out there,” teammate Tobias Harris said of Korkmaz after Thursday’s 114-99 win. “… Did all the little things out there tonight for us. I was super proud of him to just have that type of effort.”

Yet this wing evaluation process began even before the Harden blockbuster.

Korkmaz and House were injured for much of the preseason, opening opportunity for late free-agency additions Kelly Oubre Jr. and Danny Green. Those two got notable playing time in last week’s opener at the Milwaukee Bucks, with Oubre quickly solidifying a rotation spot by averaging 20 points on 45.5% three-point shooting in the Sixers’ first four games.

House, meanwhile, got double-digit minutes in the second and third games after missing the opener and Thursday’s game. Then, earlier this week, P.J. Tucker went to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Harden deal, and Green was waived to create the roster spot required to complete the deal.

When Oubre slid into Tucker’s vacated starting spot Thursday, it became Korkmaz’s turn to become one of the first Sixers off the bench.

The move was evidence of the confidence Nurse had expressed in his first conversation with Korkmaz, with an “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got” message that made Korkmaz feel he would get a fresh start under the new coaching staff.

Nurse particularly liked Korkmaz’s combination of outside shooting and playmaking by getting downhill with the ball in his hands Thursday against the Raptors. Korkmaz added that he also has worked to improve defensively, hoping to gain more trust from coaches and teammates on that end of the floor.

“[Nurse] likes the way I play the game,” Korkmaz said. “I definitely know that and feel that.”

Thursday’s outing was a positive turn in a challenging couple of seasons for Korkmaz, who had fallen out of the rotation under former coach Doc Rivers while struggling to knock down deep shots. Korkmaz attempted to play through a preseason leg injury because he knew that period was “important for all of us to show ourselves” to Nurse. And he no longer wants to lean on his past experience with the “stay ready” cliché while going long stretches without game action.

“I could play bad, and then next game, I could be on the bench again,” Korkmaz said. “But it’s really day-to-day. There’s no guaranteed minutes. There’s nothing. But as long as they know what I’m capable of, if they need me, I’ll be ready to go and then do my stuff.”

Still, Korkmaz might slide back down the roster pecking order for nonperformance reasons.

The returning Covington and intriguingly athletic Martin could be ready for real minutes as soon as Saturday’s high-profile showdown against the Phoenix Suns. Morris, a Philadelphia native, is still getting himself into game shape after spending the preseason away from the Clippers because of personal reasons. Fellow newcomer Nicolas Batum, meanwhile, was not at Friday’s practice (and missed Thursday’s shootaround and game) while dealing with his own personal matter. Nurse was unclear Friday on when Batum, a veteran whom some outsiders projected to become the Sixers’ new starting forward, could return.

» READ MORE: ‘Amazing to be back’: Robert Covington returns to the Sixers ready to be a leader

Oubre, meanwhile, could go back to the second unit, where Nurse likes his instant-offense nature. Perhaps House, a rugged defender and terrific athlete, gets another shot. Or maybe Korkmaz has earned more time.

It’s all part of Nurse’s ongoing evaluation of a reshuffled wing position battle. And until a sense of clarity is achieved, the coach will continue going with his gut.

“[Thursday] night, our gut was Furk, and it worked out pretty good,” Nurse said. “I wouldn’t know what the gut’s going to be [Saturday]. … All we can do is make the best decisions we can, and hope they work out.”