Omer Yurtseven takes stock of his season with Panathinaikos so far while expressing his desire to get more playing time. The Turkish big man breaks down the ways in which he could contribute to his team's success and compares PAO and Fenerbahce fans.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, there were two main questions regarding Omer Yurtseven.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
22
|
| Juan Hernangomez | |
| Points | 12 |
| Accuracy | 5-9 |
| Rebounds | 7 |
| Assists | 3 |
The first was how coach Ergin Ataman would incorporate the Turklsh big man into a stacked Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens roster that won the EuroLeague championship and what Yurtseven would be asked to do on the court.
The second question revolved around Yurtseven's playing time. Even if he was mostly expected to serve as a backup option to starting big man Mathias Lessort, the player's camp expected that his time on the court would clock in at more than last year's 11 minutes per contest.
Yurtseven, 26, decided to return to Europe following a 3-year NBA stint with Miami and Utah, where he averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds over 113 games. He had previously recorded a total of 11 EuroLeague appearances with Fenerbahce, his first professional team.
In Panathinaikos' hard-fought (93-87) win over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv last Tuesday, Yurtseven put up 6 points, collected 2 rebounds, and made 1 steal in less than 9 minutes. Almost half of his playing time came in the first quarter when Ataman decided to sub three of his starters out just 44 seconds after tipoff.
Over nine EuroLeague contests, Yurtseven is averaging almost 12 minutes while producing 6.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. In the Greek league, everything changes. He's averaging 19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per 29 minutes, but he's only appeared in two games due to the foreign player's limitations.
"Personally, I would love to contribute more to the winning portion," he confessed to BasketNews. "That's all there is to it. I think I can play more and help us win by a bigger margin, or in close games, I can help put us a little bit over the top. Contribute more, that's all."
Moreover, Yurtseven named his specific ability as something that could be helpful for the team.
"I think I can help
