Omer Yurtseven experienced one of the fastest transitions imaginable before making his debut with the Golden State Warriors.
The 27-year-old center landed in New York at 1 a.m. and less than a day later stepped onto the floor at Madison Square Garden during Golden State’s 110-107 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.
“Crazy,” Yurtseven said when describing the past day. “I mean, last week or so has been crazy. I was with another team in Europe and then national team and then got to the Vipers three games and now with Golden State.”
The Turkish big man joined the Warriors on a 10-day contract after playing briefly with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League.
“It’s a huge opportunity and I’m blessed to be here,” Yurtseven said. “But it’s a loop. You just got to stay ready and kind of figure everything out on the go.”
The adjustment came quickly for the seven-footer, who said he had barely half a day to learn the system.
“It was about 12 hours, I would say, to learn,” he explained. “Well, not even 12 maybe. I started this morning just to make some plays in the team meeting.”
Yurtseven acknowledged the challenge of adapting to a new playbook while stepping into a game environment immediately.
“Like I said, it’s an adjustment, but I got to make it quick and on the go,” he said. “You just got to adapt. I feel like that’s our job as basketball players.”
The veteran center said the Warriors simplified the instructions before the game.
“They just told me to play hard,” Yurtseven said. “They showed me the defense that we play and the setups we want to get into on offense.”
He also spoke about the experience of joining a franchise led by head coach Steve Kerr.
“You have a legendary coach here with Steve,” Yurtseven said. “Steve Kerr has been a legend on my radar for a while. There are a lot of legends in this organization, so just being around them is amazing.”
The transition on the court required quick adjustments to spacing and offensive structure.
“Felt good,” Yurtseven said about his first minutes. “But it’s an adjustment to knowing where the spacing is going to be because I had a different spacing a week ago.”
The big man explained that the Warriors’ system emphasizes creating room for shooters and off-ball movement.
“Here, it’s much more about creating all that space for the shooters and making sure those cuts are able to happen within space,” Yurtseven said. “It’s something simple, but I just got to get it going.”
He admitted there were moments when instinct took over.
“There were times where I struggled where I went to some old habits,” Yurtseven said. “Not even old, I guess. It was the habit that I had 24 hours ago.”
Yurtseven believes another game or two will help him fully adjust.
“I think next game I should be able to fully adapt to it,” he said.
The center also reflected on the contrast between European basketball and the NBA.
“To be honest, that was a much slower paced game compared to here,” Yurtseven said. “The defensive three seconds opens up the paint in crazy ways.”
He added that spacing changes how offenses generate advantages.
“It allows for better reads,” Yurtseven said. “In Europe it’s much more chaotic because defenses can shrink and recover faster.”
Off the court, Yurtseven is still getting acquainted with his new teammates.
“Not really,” he said when asked if he had learned everyone’s names yet. “I’m still on the go.”
One familiar face helped ease the transition.
“I trained with Pat Spencer throughout the Covid time,” Yurtseven said. “We trained for about six months together in Maryland.”
The reunion also came with some humor.
“I’m happy to see him change some habits from Chick-fil-A to Chipotle,” Yurtseven joked.
Yurtseven expects the adjustment period to be short.
“Whether it’s on the court or off the court, figuring out the names and the plays takes 24, 48, maybe 72 hours,” he said. “Then we’re ready to go.”
