Heat’s Omer Yurtseven Undergoes Successful Surgery

Miami Heat young center Omer Yurtseven just had surgery to repair issues in his left ankle.

Omer Yurtseven Undergoes Surgery

Miami Heat young talented big man Omer Yurtseven recently underwent surgery to repair issues in his left ankle. In the team’s official statement on Tuesday, it was mentioned that the surgery was needed to help Yurtseven recover from an “impingement, bone spur, and stress” reaction in his ankle. The Heat didn’t include a specific date for Yurtseven’s return, which means that he could miss a long period of time.

This is an unfortunate development for the Heat, as many expected that Yurtseven could help shore up a frontline that is in need of more length this season. Bam Adebayo could definitely hold his own and is actually one of the best all-around defensive big men we have in the league. But Yurtseven provides length and power for the center position, an asset that the Heat needs when facing bigger centers such as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

Omer Yurtseven went undrafted during the 2020 NBA Draft. But the Heat front office took a chance for him last season, and he showed his potential to be a starting caliber big man in the league. Big Yurt averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, and also held the fort for the Heat when Adebayo missed games. He scored at least 16 points in four games, while also tallying eight double-double performances. The Heat was counting on his continuous development for this season but an ankle injury has hindered his progress.

With Yurtseven out of the picture for the foreseeable future, the Heat will have to rely even more on Adebayo. Dewayne Dedmon has also been a capable backup big at times, and the Heat recently inked another young center in Orlando Robinson.