Former NC State Star Omer Yurtseven producing for NBA’s Golden State Warriors After G League Dominance

Omer Yurtseven, the big man who once dominated the paint for NC State before bouncing around the NBA, Europe, and now the G League, just got a lifeline from the Golden State Warriors. The team signed him to a 10-day contract earlier this month (March 15), and he’s already seeing some real minutes amid all the injuries piling up in their frontcourt.

Yurtseven, (6-11,275 lbs), came in hot after tearing it up with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In just three games down there, he was putting up ridiculous numbers: 23.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and a couple blocks per game in about 30 minutes a night. He shot over 56% from the field and knocked down his free throws at 87.5%. With the quick promotion, it looks like the Warriors had every intention to bring him up after they signed him to the G-League deal.

Golden State, dealing with a banged-up rotation, needed someone who could grab boards and give them size off the bench. Yurtseven fit the bill perfectly. In his most recent outing on March 20 against the Detroit Pistons (a tough 115-101 loss on the road), he logged a season-high 21 minutes off the bench. He finished with 8 points (3-of-7 shooting, 2-of-6 from the line), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and even a steal. Nothing flashy on the scoreboard, but he was active, set some screens, and helped clog the paint when the Warriors were desperately thin inside. It showed he’s ready to contribute right away, even if he’s still learning names and plays on the fly after landing in the Bay Area basically overnight.

Looking back at his college days, this isn’t a surprise. Yurt was always seen as a future NBA’er. He started out at NC State as a freshman in 2016-17, where he had to sit out the first nine games due to NCAA transfer rules from his time overseas. Once he got on the floor, he appeared in 22 games, averaging 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. He had some nice moments, like a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds against Pittsburgh.

His real breakout came as a sophomore in 2017-18. Over 33 games, he bumped it up to 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 23.8 minutes per contest. He was very efficient, shooting a scorching 57.2% from the floor (and even hit 50% on the few threes he attempted). That earned him third-team All-ACC honors and proved he could be a force at the highest level in college. After that season, he transferred to Georgetown for his final year, but the production he showed at NC State is what first put him on scouts’ radars.

Now at 27, after stints with the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz (where he averaged around 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in limited minutes across 113 games), plus time overseas with Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague, Yurtseven is back in the NBA on a short-term deal. The Warriors’ frontcourt injuries have opened the door wider than expected, and if he keeps bringing this type of energy, rebounding, and solid interior defense as he did against Detroit, there’s a real shot this sticks beyond the initial 10 days (which run through March 24).

It’s one of those “right place, right time” stories in the league where guy grinds in the G League, gets a call-up, and suddenly he’s contributing for a contending team. Former NC State guard CJ Williams also took this path. Warriors fans have to like what they’ve seen so far from the Turkish big man. If the injuries don’t heal up quickly, don’t be surprised if we see more of him in the rotation as the season winds down.