Miami Heat: Omer Yurtseven Trying To Stabilize Along The Learning Curve
By Isiah Curry
In Monday’s 105-94 loss at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Miami Heat were overmatched in their second meeting against the Cleveland Cavaliers. All while shorthanded, the Heat allowed an overabundance of outside looks, compounded with them being physically worn down on the interior — as they were outrebounded, 21-13, in the second half.
To expand further, the Heat’s lack of interior prowess has taken a noticeable effect after their franchise centerpiece, Bam Adebayo, would be sidelined with a right thumb injury. Although multiple players have prospered on certain occasions, it’s forced head coach Erik Spoelstra to test the deepest of options in his rotation.
That includes his first-year center, Omer Yurtseven.
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Yurtseven recorded eight points and seven rebounds in just under 20 minutes against the Cavaliers, which was just the fourth game of the season where he logged double-digit minutes. He would be the first big man substitution for Dewayne Dedmon, as Miami faces a tall task that resides in compensating for Adebayo, an all-world athlete and quite arguably, the most versatile defender at his position.
In Miami’s last outing versus Cleveland earlier this month, Yurtseven didn’t see the floor until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. He would only play in the final four minutes of a 111-85 Cavaliers blowout, as Miami threw in the towel with four minutes remaining.
The revolving door has since opened for the 23-year-old prospect, as Yurtseven is beginning to see his NBA career unfold right before all of our very eyes, including his own.