Omer Yurtseven stepped up admirably for the Miami Heat when Bam Adebayo was sidelined. The youngster made the most of his opportunity and proved to the Heat that he can’t go overlooked.
However, since Adebayo’s return, Yurtseven’s playing time has taken a huge hit. It’s been a tough development for Yurtseven, but that’s often part of the process for a young guy who’s part of a contending team.
Yurtseven recently spoke about the fact that he’s out of the rotation for the time being. While he admitted that it’s tough, he explained that he’s trusting the process.
“It’s hard, obviously, because you catch that rhythm and you have that raging fire to just keep going,” Yurtseven said to the Miami Herald. “But I trust in the coaches and the Heat culture, and I believe if they want me and need me in the game that they know that I’m ready.”
The 23-year-old explained that he doesn’t want to “lose a beat.”
“When I see guys play, I don’t want to lose a beat,” he said. “I have that in my mind and I just go hard in everything that I do. The court workouts, I go like at game speed and that’s all you can do to not lose a beat.”
It will be very interesting to see if Yurtseven finds himself in the rotation again this season. If nothing else, the Heat surely take comfort in knowing that Yurtseven is a top-notch replacement option in case of an injury to a key frontcourt player.
The rookie has appeared in 37 games this season and made 10 starts. All 10 of those starts came when Adebayo was sidelined. In those games, Yurtseven averaged 13.6 points and 13.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
It’s obviously a luxury to have a player like that available in case of an injury to a guy like Adebayo. The Heat’s impressive depth has been a major key to the team’s success this season. It’s a big reason why Miami has the top record in the Eastern Conference.