Mehmet Okur

Okur has gone where no other Turkish player has ever been. His dedication to hard work has made him an NBA All-Star, NBA Player of the Week and the Utah Jazz’s franchise record-holder for three-pointers made in a season. The fact that he is a 2.10 m center and holds a three-point record is as good an indication as any of what his best assets are. Okur is, first and foremost, a shooter, and a fearless one at that. That confidence is merely a by-product of his hard work as throughout the season and in the summer he works on his shooting. Larry Bird once said that he took 1000 shots a day to perfect his touch. Okur might be doing the same but with his laid-back demeanour he never acknowledges it.

With his elevated status as a primetime player, Okur has also earned a reputation as a smart defender. He had the difficult task of trying to slow down Yao Ming and Tim Duncan during the playoffs.

Even though he is the highest profile star on Turkey’s roster, Okur is not a finished product. He has decent foot speed but he cannot be regarded as an athlete and as he became obsessed with his perimeter game, his play inside began to suffer.

But the main thing about Okur is that he is coming back to play for his National Team. EuroBasket 2005 was a disaster for Okur. He was in the middle of all the finger pointing drama that went on behind the scenes. He was so disgusted with the events that followed that he didn’t participate in the World Championships, saying that his chronically injured back needed a rest and he didn’t want to push it for a cause that had given him nothing but trouble in the past.

But after Japan, he had a change of heart. Despite going deep into the playoffs and having much less time to rest during the summer, Okur is dedicated to playing on the European stage once again. It is up to coach Tanjeviç to utilise his biggest talent in the new system. The main problem is that the coach’s hard working, slick passing style of play doesn’t suit Okur that well. The hectic tempo and aggressive system that was so effective last summer is not tailor made for Okur. He might not be the “saviour” but he is still Turkey’s biggest gun.