Should Furkan Korkmaz Be Cut Out of the Rotation?

This season started off very well for Furkan Korkmaz. He had an expanded role where he flourished as the backup point guard. Recently, things haven’t been so great. Korkmaz has struggled tremendously over the last four weeks, where he only managed to score in double figures one time.
Korkmaz has built a reputation as a three-point threat in this league. When he couldn’t handle the ball, he was at least able to space the floor. That hasn’t been the case as of late, the 24-year-old is shooting just 18.5% from deep in his last 15 games, connecting on six of his last 37 attempts. On top of that, he’s only shooting 27.7% from the field en route to averaging just 5.5 points per game.
At the beginning of the season, Korkmaz settled into his new role nicely. But the tides have quickly turned into wondering if he belongs in the rotation anymore. The rollercoaster that has been Korkmaz’s career is at an all-time low, yet he stays in the lineup. His confidence looks to be dwindling, his jumper hasn’t looked this bad since his rookie season in Philadelphia, and his ball-handling inefficiencies have caught up to him. Things are bad, so should Doc Rivers let him battle out of his slump, or should they look for other options?
They have a reasonable replacement on the bench in Isaiah Joe. He didn’t look great at the start of the season, but has since turned the heat back up on his jumper. Joe missed some time during the COVID stretch and never got a chance to step in when the roster was depleted. Currently, he is shooting 33% from deep on just under three attempts per game. Joe only notches 9.5 minutes per game, but with a deeply struggling Korkmaz, why not see if he can eat into those minutes to provide a more consistent threat from outside?
I have an undying affinity for Furkan Korkmaz, and I am even looking for other options. That being said, I do have a certain level of hope that Korkmaz will figure it out, but the inconsistency we worried about is rearing its ugly head once again. There is still plenty of season left to work out the kinks with his game, but I think it is time for Rivers to start looking at potential rotation adjustments moving forward.
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today