When one door closes, another opens. When the NBA Summer League thing didn’t provide the preferred opportunities, well, a strong season in Germany still has its advantages and Tai Webster’s made another step up the global basketball ladder this week with confirmation that he’s signed with Turkish club Galatasaray.

It’s a large stride forward in Webster’s career, no doubt about that. Galatasaray haven’t been as strong in recent years as they once were, having won the EuroCup in 2015-16, but that’s all part of the spell. He’s at a club that’ll be back in EuroCup action again this season, despite finishing ninth in Turkey (the Basketbol Süper Ligi) and out of the playoffs, meaning he’ll get a first taste of continental action. Funnily enough his former German team, Fraport Skyliners, also qualified for the EuroCup this season… but Galatasaray have a better chance of going deep into the tournament – which is the second tier of continental basketball beneath the EuroLeague (think Europa League for you football fans out there).

This has nothing to do with his Summer League exploits (which you can read about right here). There were rumours about Webster drawing some solid interest from hefty European clubs well before he strolled into Miami, hence his kinda underwhelming performances there also will have had no effect. Tai didn’t get to show what he can do there. He damn sure did back in Germany however and that’s what will have gotten Galatasaray all up on that phone.

In 37 games he averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists, which is pretty bloody handy for his first season as a European pro but even better when you consider that he shot 40.0% from deep (52/130 for the season). 47.5% from the field, 82.6% from the free throw line too. Those are legit numbers. And while we already know from copious Tall Blacks heroics that he’s a point guard who can get to the rim, who can finish at the line, who can rebound beyond his size, who can attack in transition… now he’s apparently added a three-point shot to that concoction.

That’s why it was such a shame he couldn’t reflect that in Summer League, but then realistically he was probably always expecting to be heading back to Europe for something like this. It’s tricky to make an impression in limited minutes. For most of the guys that find themselves in Summer League it’s all about personal development. There are only a handful of contracts left available by then and most franchises already know what they want to do with them. No worries. You don’t become a worse player by playing with better ones.

At Galatasaray, Webster shapes to be their starting point guard and will get every opportunity to keep on progressing the way he has so far. He’s only 23, the Summer League should still be there in a year’s time – although you can’t sleep on the Euro stuff, this is a serious way to earn a living as a basketballer and the NBA ain’t the be all and end all. Galatasaray aren’t pissing around either. Same day as they confirmed Tai Webster, they also confirmed the signings of Greek power forward Zach Auguste and Slovenian wing Jaka Klobucar.

Also hanging about on that roster is Aaron Harrison, twin brother of Andrew who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, last seen finishing out the NBA season with Dallas. Nigel Hayes had short stints with three NBA clubs last season and now finds himself in Turkey. That’s some bankable recruitment. Webster’s the only one of them who specialises in playing the point so the ball’s going to start in his hands, which is another bit of responsibility since if that deep shot’s now something to rely upon then the next step to unlocking his max potential is his passing game.

Just things like reading defences, keeping a tempo to a possession. They’re difficult things for all players an especially young ones. Back in Fraport he had a few alternative guards around him to share those duties, hence his assist numbers were a couple short on where they could have been, and possibly there are a couple dudes in Galatasaray that can do a similar thing. Jaka Klobucar is likely to be the main candidate. Local bloke Can Korkmaz is another. Obviously for New Zealand he’s got his brother to go tag team with.

That sounds a bit like a limitation for Webster but it’s really the opposite. He’s a player who is fast developing into a rather decent catch-and-shoot guy but doesn’t always hit ‘em so well when he’s out of his rhythm or trying to create his own shot from distance. Chuck in another focal point of the side and suddenly he’s getting those open looks a few times a game again. Benefits everyone.

And if Tai Webster is able to score points in Turkey at the same rate that he did in Germany then Galatasaray are getting their money’s worth. And if that translates into the EuroCup stuff then we’re all in for a bit of a treat later on in the year because Webster’s Galatasaray and Isaac Fotu’s ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) have been drawn in the same EuroCup group, meaning they’ll play each other twice, once on October 11 and once on November 18 (NZT). Get those ones in ink on the calendar, mate.

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