Who is Omer Yurtseven and what does he bring to the Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have signed Omer Yurtseven, effectively finalizing the roster.

It was announced yesterday that Omer Yurtseven has signed a two-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Utah Jazz. The first year is for $2.8 million, and according to reports is only partially guaranteed. The second year is non-guaranteed, meaning that while the Jazz now have 15 players under contract for the regular season, they can still cut Yurtseven, along with Luka Samanic and Kris Dunn, and be able to save money and add talent in the process.

That doesn’t seem to be the plan, at least at the moment. While names like Christian Wood exist in free agency, it looks like the Jazz are going ahead with the roster as is, hoping that Dunn’s defense, Samanic’s dynamic offense, and Yurtseven’s upside is enough to add to the team’s bench.

But who is Yurtseven, and how will he affect the team going forward? Well, he’s a former find from the Miami Heat, alongside the likes of Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, and Gabe Vincent. He’s a prototypical center, 7’0, 265 lbs, and has a focus on rim protection.

He’s a pretty standard center in that regard, but he does have an upside. Despite being 25, he’s only been in the league for three years and showed in his rookie year that he could not only contribute significant minutes to a 53-win heat squad but he could also play well enough to start for a team.

He’s a solid rebounder with a nice long reach, and while he isn’t going to turn into Nikola Jokic, he’s someone who can provide an impact on defense. It’s not surprising that the team struggled on defense in 2022-2023, as he went from playing in 56 games, at 12+ minutes per game, to only nine appearances in 2023-2024. No, Yurtseven wouldn’t have risen the profile of the Heat significantly, but it was clear that the team no longer favored him.

He really hasn’t been given a chance to succeed in the league, and if the Jazz can get him regular minutes, he may be able to improve the team’s defense with his play. He’s already a candidate to back up Walker Kessler going forward.