Why is Evan Turner under the radar?

[i<3basketball]

I agree. I would have thought that Tyreke would be a much better fit on the Raps?

Agreed as well. Tyreke would fit better there in Toronto even though I believe Turner is a better player overall.

[vincecarter4pres]

I don't see how Evans is a better fit then Turner.

[Kayjay]

when picking between SG styles, i think it's not a good idea to draft based on need rather than the better player overall

[RTM]

I think you guys are overrating Turner quite a bit here. If Harden played in the Big Ten, his numbers would be inflated over what they already are. Turner is a good player, but he is not playing in the most competitve conference. Harden is going up against NBA caliber guys like Collison, Holiday, Budinger, Derozan...Turner, not so much.

Turner is a very nice player, but he is no Harden at this point.

Number don't tend to be inflated in the low scoring, equally deep big ten. There are some gread defenders at the G positions in the big ten (Walton from MSU, Kramer from Purdue, Frazier from Illinois). Harden doesn't match up against Holiday, DeRozan is an inconsistent defender, and going against Budinger is a joke (they play a zone to cover up his HORRID defense - he can't guard a chair).

That being said, I still like Harden over Turner.

[ManualRam]

I don't see how Evans is a better fit then Turner.

becuz toronto has enough shooters and skill players. they need someone who can get to the rim
and draw fouls on the opposition. tyreke is better in that aspect. if theres one aspect of his game that i think can translate to the next level, its getting to the rim and getting fouled. turner isnt nearly as strong or aggressive. with calderon in the fold, tyreke wont have to handle the ball (or as much as he'd want to.) he could concentrate more on slashing, dive cuts, getting out in transition and running the baseline...that is, if he's willing to improve his off-the-ball game.
i dont really like evans' game, but if theres one thing i'll give him credit for its being very aggressive which is exactly the type of player the raps need. toronto's gotta be the softest, most passive team in the league.

[ManualRam]

going against Budinger is a joke (they play a zone to cover up his HORRID defense - he can't guard a chair).

they play a zone cuz they lack depth.
/nitpicking

[vincecarter4pres]

I don't see how Evans is a better fit then Turner.

becuz toronto has enough shooters and skill players. they need someone who can get to the rim
and draw fouls on the opposition. tyreke is better in that aspect. if theres one aspect of his game that i think can translate to the next level, its getting to the rim and getting fouled. turner isnt nearly as strong or aggressive. with calderon in the fold, tyreke wont have to handle the ball (or as much as he'd want to.) he could concentrate more on slashing, dive cuts, getting out in transition and running the baseline...that is, if he's willing to improve his off-the-ball game.
i dont really like evans' game, but if theres one thing i'll give him credit for its being very aggressive which is exactly the type of player the raps need. toronto's gotta be the softest, most passive team in the league.

That's funny, because Turner shoots almost 2 more free throws per game at a much better %, shootes a much better % from the field and doesn't jack up nearly the amount of 3's or bad shots per game and averages the exact same amount of assists, all while playing in a MUCH better conference instead of the wet paper bag that is the SEC.
Matter of fact Turner averages the most shot attempts per game on his team, all while playing with a few other legitimate scoring options, same as Evans, except highly more efficient.
So I guess if jacking up bad shots and making bad decisons makes a player more aggressive, then yeah, Tyreke Evans is most definitely your man.

[BigSlam]

So I guess if jacking up bad shots and making bad decisons makes a player more aggressive, then yeah, Tyreke Evans is most definitely your man.

He's MUCH better at driving the ball, a much better defender (which helps with Calderon as your point) and a much better fit in TO than Turner.

[NewWolvesOrder]

Evans a much better defender than Turner???????? wow, just wow

[vincecarter4pres]

So I guess if jacking up bad shots and making bad decisons makes a player more aggressive, then yeah, Tyreke Evans is most definitely your man.

He's MUCH better at driving the ball, a much better defender (which helps with Calderon as your point) and a much better fit in TO than Turner.

If by much better defender you mean gambling more in the passing lanes and still not avearging a significant number of more steals, then once again, Evans is your man.
Turner is an excellent defender. His midrange game is sick as well as he is not bad at all at driving into the lane and drawing fouls, evident by his high amount of free throw attempts.

[ManualRam]

I don't see how Evans is a better fit then Turner.

becuz toronto has enough shooters and skill players. they need someone who can get to the rim
and draw fouls on the opposition. tyreke is better in that aspect. if theres one aspect of his game that i think can translate to the next level, its getting to the rim and getting fouled. turner isnt nearly as strong or aggressive. with calderon in the fold, tyreke wont have to handle the ball (or as much as he'd want to.) he could concentrate more on slashing, dive cuts, getting out in transition and running the baseline...that is, if he's willing to improve his off-the-ball game.
i dont really like evans' game, but if theres one thing i'll give him credit for its being very aggressive which is exactly the type of player the raps need. toronto's gotta be the softest, most passive team in the league.

That's funny, because Turner shoots almost 2 more free throws per game at a much better %, shootes a much better % from the field and doesn't jack up nearly the amount of 3's or bad shots per game and averages the exact same amount of assists, all while playing in a MUCH better conference instead of the wet paper bag that is the SEC.
Matter of fact Turner averages the most shot attempts per game on his team, all while playing with a few other legitimate scoring options, same as Evans, except highly more efficient.
So I guess if jacking up bad shots and making bad decisons makes a player more aggressive, then yeah, Tyreke Evans is most definitely your man.

so do you think turner is better off the bounce attacking the rim than evans? i dont.
do you think turner will be the more physical player and better at drawing contact in the league? i dont

i like turner more than evans, but in terms of fit, the raps are one of the few teams where picking evans over a guy like turner makes sense.

[ManualRam]

So I guess if jacking up bad shots and making bad decisons makes a player more aggressive, then yeah, Tyreke Evans is most definitely your man.

He's MUCH better at driving the ball, a much better defender (which helps with Calderon as your point) and a much better fit in TO than Turner.

If by much better defender you mean gambling more in the passing lanes and still not avearging a significant number of more steals, then once again, Evans is your man.
Turner is an excellent defender. His midrange game is sick as well as he is not bad at all at driving into the lane and drawing fouls, evident by his high amount of free throw attempts.

evans has much more potential defensively becuz he's already physically strong. he's got the frame to put on more weight even though he's already got an nba ready body. he also has freakish length (7ft wingspan). you cant judge evans by the defense he plays at memphis. their whole system is based on ball pressure, trapping and gambling. it's like a somewhat lighter version of "40 minutes of hell".

[ATLTimekeeper]

evans has much more potential defensively becuz he's already physically strong. he's got the frame to put on more weight even though he's already got an nba ready body. he also has freakish length (7ft wingspan). you cant judge evans by the defense he plays at memphis. their whole system is based on ball pressure, trapping and gambling. it's like a somewhat lighter version of "40 minutes of hell".

As a Raptors fan, I like both players, but no way is Evans a better fit than Turner. You're assuming that Evans will be a 2 in the NBA, even though he hasn't proven he can play off the ball.

And Toronto has 2 bigs that need 15-20 shots a game, I don't know how they'd tolerate a guy who chucks up a half-dozen bricks a game just because he wants to get some shots up. Turner at least hasn't fooled himself into thinking he's a 3 point shooter, is just as aggressive as Evans and better at finishing with contact (at this point), and plays the 2. They also run a lot of pick and rolls in Toronto, which Turner is terrific at. He'd have way more assists this year is Mullens didn't blow so many lay-ups.

[vincecarter4pres]

Turner will be the better defender and overall player in the NBA, book it.

[ManualRam]

As a Raptors fan, I like both players, but no way is Evans a better fit than Turner. You're assuming that Evans will be a 2 in the NBA, even though he hasn't proven he can play off the ball.

And Toronto has 2 bigs that need 15-20 shots a game, I don't know how they'd tolerate a guy who chucks up a half-dozen bricks a game just because he wants to get some shots up. Turner at least hasn't fooled himself into thinking he's a 3 point shooter, is just as aggressive as Evans and better at finishing with contact (at this point), and plays the 2. They also run a lot of pick and rolls in Toronto, which Turner is terrific at. He'd have way more assists this year is Mullens didn't blow so many lay-ups.

yes, i am assuming he'll be a 2 in the league. he's most definitely not a 1. you're right, he's a chucker. but maybe the raps problem is that the bigs NEED to take those 15-20 shots a game (the majority of them jump shots.) instead of taking so many damn jump shots they need someone who'll attack the rim with reckless abandon, get the opposing bigs in foul trouble or suck in the defense so that their looks would be a bit easier. BTW, evans is a pretty solid pick n roll player as well.

i just dont think turner will be able to be as aggressive as evans is off the bounce. he's a crafty guy with the ball, solid ball-handler with steve smith-like hesitation moves, but he doesnt have the 1st/2nd step to consistently get by his man, nor does he have the strength to keep his defender on his hip like evans can. i also disagree that turner's good at finishing through contact. he's actually pretty weak and has a slim build.

again, this is coming from someone who loathes evans and likes turner.

[BigSlam]

i just dont think turner will be able to be as aggressive as evans is off the bounce. he's a crafty guy with the ball, solid ball-handler with steve smith-like hesitation moves, but he doesnt have the 1st/2nd step to consistently get by his man, nor does he have the strength to keep his defender on his hip like evans can. i also disagree that turner's good at finishing through contact. he's actually pretty weak and has a slim build.

Totally agree. Turner is older, more experienced and bigger than Evans, but he is much softer. Evans ability to slice through the key using a quick step or power hop is custom made for the NBA. The D will be forced to collapse on him which will create open J after open J for Bosh and Bargs.

Plus, while he will be a 2 in the NBA, he will be able to play some point (ala Roy) which will be of great benefit as Jose can play off the ball with his great shooting.

Turner can't provide that luxury.

I like Turner. Like him a lot. I'm been on his bandwagon since the start of the season and think he'll be a heck of a player, but for the Raps, Evans is the better fit. That's nothing against Turner, it's just what works best.

[cgf]

second best sg in the draft after harden, if your team's pg sucks at running offense you take turner

Nate, I would like to meet Evan, Evan's going to make you a starter.

[ATLTimekeeper]

i just dont think turner will be able to be as aggressive as evans is off the bounce. he's a crafty guy with the ball, solid ball-handler with steve smith-like hesitation moves, but he doesnt have the 1st/2nd step to consistently get by his man, nor does he have the strength to keep his defender on his hip like evans can. i also disagree that turner's good at finishing through contact. he's actually pretty weak and has a slim build.

Totally agree. Turner is older, more experienced and bigger than Evans, but he is much softer. Evans ability to slice through the key using a quick step or power hop is custom made for the NBA. The D will be forced to collapse on him which will create open J after open J for Bosh and Bargs.

Plus, while he will be a 2 in the NBA, he will be able to play some point (ala Roy) which will be of great benefit as Jose can play off the ball with his great shooting.

Turner can't provide that luxury.

I like Turner. Like him a lot. I'm been on his bandwagon since the start of the season and think he'll be a heck of a player, but for the Raps, Evans is the better fit. That's nothing against Turner, it's just what works best.

Well, I disagree that he'll play the 2 in the NBA, or at least, it's still a question mark. He hasn't proven that he can do it, and any team that selects him is basically running the risk of it not working.

I don't know where you get the impression that Turner is softer than Evans. He grabs tough rebounds and drives constantly. He's skinnier, sure, but he's no less aggressive. I'd like to know what makes him soft?

The biggest difference I see in terms of fit is that Evans' can't shoot, but loves too (and his shot looks bad, which gives me less hope that he can figure it out) Defenses will just sag and he won't be able to turn down the open look. He's also not as aggressive as either of you are making him out to be. He's not passive, but he doesn't attack the rim with reckless abandon.

Anyway, like I said I enjoy both players, and I probably prefer Evans' potential (as a point guard), but Turner looks like everything the Raptors need in a two guard: defense, leadership, ball-handling, gets to the line, rebounding, efficiency.

[BigSlam]

Well, I disagree that he'll play the 2 in the NBA, or at least, it's still a question mark. He hasn't proven that he can do it, and any team that selects him is basically running the risk of it not working.

That's a valid concern. In saying that, you run the risk of any draft pick not working.

I don't know where you get the impression that Turner is softer than Evans. He grabs tough rebounds and drives constantly. He's skinnier, sure, but he's no less aggressive. I'd like to know what makes him soft?

He doesn't finish well with contact at all. He just sort of flails about where as Tyreke finishes strong and with power. I'm not sure if there is a way to find out, but I'd like to know how many "and one" chances Tyreke has had Vs Evan.

The biggest difference I see in terms of fit is that Evans' can't shoot, but loves too (and his shot looks bad, which gives me less hope that he can figure it out) Defenses will just sag and he won't be able to turn down the open look.

As the season has gone on and he has found his groove, he is shooting the ball better and better. Have to agree though, it is a funky looking release point with an added scissor kick thrown in for good measure!!

He's also not as aggressive as either of you are making him out to be. He's not passive, but he doesn't attack the rim with reckless abandon.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

Anyway, like I said I enjoy both players, and I probably prefer Evans' potential (as a point guard), but Turner looks like everything the Raptors need in a two guard: defense, leadership, ball-handling, gets to the line, rebounding, efficiency

And on that we agree! I also enjoy both players and think they will both have great NBA careers.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Ha ha, we must have watched different games. I could've sworn Turner had a better knack for AND1's than Evans. I agree that he looks like he's flailing, but I thought that was a result of trying to initiate contact and then improvising a shot. Evans definitely seems more composed in the paint, but he'll often pull up in front of the help and try and shoot over it even though he could easily draw a foul.

My point on teams drafting Evans had more to do with position than potential. Suppose the Raptors draft Evans and he doesn't work out as a 2, now they have a glut at the 1 even though all evidence prior indicated that Evans is more productive at the 1. Seems like an unnecessary risk. To me, it's only worth the risk at the top of the draft when the talent is rock-solid.

Anyway, I won't belabor the point any more.

I'm really hoping that Ohio State gets to play Louisville, because I'd love to see what Turner can do against Terrence Williams and vice versa. And I'm interested to see what Evans can do in close games.