John Wall is going to be the first pick in the draft. He is. That doesn’t mean it’s not debatable -- we’ll be happy to play devil’s advocate to the conventional wisdom.
Evan Turner is going to be drafted second overall. But he thinks he should be considered for that top pick, something he said in an interview with reporters at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago today. (Adam Fluck at Bulls Blog posted the audio.)
“I think it’s still a possibility and we’re definitely going to do an individual workout for (Washington) and see what is going on for there,” Evans said.
Evans said that he is a more versatile player -- he has played the point and had one of the nation’s best assist rates last year but is projected as a shooting guard -- and suggested his game would blend better with Gilbert Arenas. Which assumes that Arenas will put on a Wizards uniform again, which is an entirely different debate.
Still, if he has to go second, things are always sunny in Philadelphia.
“I think they have a lot of good young players and I could help fit in,” Evans said, emphasizing his ability to play either guard along with Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday.
Turner is part of the current breed of NBA player that bends the traditional notions of positions in the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki is the classic example -- he’s a center by height but really plays like a small forward. Why try to pigeonhole him into one role when you are better suited just to look for ways to use his gifts.
Turner is sort of the same way, he can be a combo guard. Brandon Roy does that in Portland -- he’s not the point guard technically, but the offense runs through him and his decision making. In that sense Turner could blend with Arneas is Washington or Holiday and Iguodala in Philadelphia.
“I’m just a basketball player, it doesn’t matter at all (what position I play)... I don’t feel I have a natural position,” Turner said.
Turner said he is now just working out everyday, making 550 shots a day, to get ready for the next level. He said he is particularly focusing on three point shooting -- he hit a respectable 36 percent from the college arc last year (with defenses focused on him) but he has to be consistent with that shot from the NBA level to really have an impact next year.
And after three years in Columbus, Turner is itching to make an impact on the big stage. Whatever the position.