The Golden State Warriors will have an incredibly short-handed center rotation when they host the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center on Wednesday, subsequently gifting Omer Yurtseven a stunning opportunity against one of the league's best players.
Draymond Green is likely to get first opportunity against Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, but the absence of Kristaps Porzingis means Yurtseven will surely see heavy minutes that includes the potential of some matchup on the French phenom.
Omer Yurtseven gifted major opportunity to impress against Spurs
Porzingis has yet to be cleared to play in both sides of a back-to-back, leaving the Warriors to rest him ahead of Thursday's matchup against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers where they may believe they're a better chance at victory.
Resting Porzingis leaves Steve Kerr without his three primary centers available against Wembanyama, with Al Horford still sidelined by a calf strain and Quinten Post out again with his foot injury after leaving Sunday's game in Denver following less than five minutes of playing time.
Perhaps Kerr just matches Green's minutes with Wembanyama, but whether being asked to defend the 22-year-old or not, Wednesday's game present as a major opportunity for Yurtseven who is currently on his second 10-day contract with Golden State.
Even after Post hobbled off the floor in the second-quarter on Sunday, Yurtseven failed to see minutes until garbage time. He's played less than 20 total minutes across the past four games, including a DNP during last Monday's win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Turkish center's most playing time came when Post and Horford were unavailable, then Porzingis left with back soreness during the first-half of the March 20 loss in Detroit. Yurtseven played 21 minutes off the bench, tallying eight points, six rebounds and two steals in the 115-101 defeat.
Omer Yurtseven is playing for his NBA career right now
With Horford and Post still a chance to return before the end of the regular season, Yurtseven simply must take advantage of every opportunity he gets on an NBA floor to get another contract for next season.
That contract may very likely not come from the Warriors who have decisions to make on their center rotation, but you never know which rival teams are watching on and monitoring the final games of the season in preparation for free agency.
Yurtseven had a near two-year absence from the league, before signing with the Warriors on March 15 after just three games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League.