Miami Heat center Omer Yurtseven had a breakout during the regular season of his rookie year.
As for the playoffs? That's a different story.
Yurtseven fell out of the rotation during the Heat's run to the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost in Game 7 to the Boston Celtics. Yurtseven has different plans for this season.
He wants to become an everyday player.
“No. 1 is getting that rotational spot during training camp and throughout the season. In order to do that, I need to be in the best shape I can, which I am [currently],” Yurtseven said in an interview with BasketballNews.com. “Cutting down the body fat and increasing weight, it’s been a grind. But it’s an everyday thing. I’ve been doing it non-stop for four years now.”
Yurtseven, who went undrafted out of Georgetown, was headed toward becoming the Heat's next development project. He averaged 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. He once recorded 15 points in four straight games, becoming the first rookie to accomplish the feat since Shaquille O'Neal in 1992-93.
For Yurtseven, the goal is to solidify himself as the backup to starter Bam Adebayo. He will have to hold off Dewayne Dedmon to make that happen.
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