(Evan Turner)
Team: Philadelphia 76ersLeague: National Basketball Association
Country: United States
Buckeye: Evan Turner
Sixers Roster
The Roots, Bahamadia, Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boyz to Men, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Jill Scott, 'Dr. J' Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Donovan McNabb, Rocky, the philly cheese steak, the Liberty Bell, passionate sports fans.
These are just some of the things (musical artists, sports, history) that come to our minds when thinking of pop culture from the city of brotherly love..and we can now add Buckeye Evan Turner to the list of identifiable sports figures with the city of Philadelphia.
It has been a whirlwind 2010 for the guard out of Chicago, Illinois. You have to wonder if he has really had enough time to truly soak in the achievements of winning the Big Ten Championship, and sweeping every major NCAA award before being selected as the #2 pick in the NBA draft. And as we sit on October 18th, Turner is now set to make is official NBA debut in a little over a week on his 22nd Birthday (Oct. 27) vs the Heat.
There are a lot of great team previews floating out there for the 2010 76ers (which we will link to), so we are not going to bore with a big writeup. Instead we really want to put out some team oriented videos as well as a brief recap on the preseason.
When thinking of Philadelphia in the pre-season, our immediate thoughts are how good can the inside game be? And how will Evan Turner fit in?
Samuel Dalembert was a defensive presence inside, he was traded for C Spencer Hawes in the off-season. PF Elton Brand will hold it down in the post, but absent of a starter quality Center Philly will hope to see contributions from PFs Marreese Speights & Darius Songalia.
At guard we have a young smooth & versatile guard from California by the name of Jrue Holiday. Like Evan, Jrue wants to defend, is capable on the boards, and just plays a poised type of game. When ET & Holiday assess their scoring outlets, they will often times be looking at guard/wing Andre Iguodala, wing/forward Thaddeus Young, and guard Lou Williams..another smooth scorer.
For Turner, fall training camp is just about feeling is way into the team and learning how to go about this professional game as a rookie.
Team Previews - Philadelpia 76ers
Heading into the first pre-season game, it was announced that Turner would see his first minutes coming off the bench as the backup point guard...and that is how the first two games played out.
Philadelphia's first two game set of the season were on October 5 & 6 vs the Nets in Roanoke, VA & at the Celtics in New Hampshire. Evan brought down seven rebounds & was able to get to the line in his pre-season debut, but he struggled to get in a rhythm from the field in the opener & in second game vs the Celtics.
The third pre-season game, a road rematch with New Jersey on Oct. 9, saw a lineup change when Coach Doug Collins started Turner alongside Jrue Holiday for the first time. Evan responded with a break out game that consisted of 14 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, & 6 steals! Ever since this game ET has seemingly felt more comfortable, yes he has had the ball in his hands a litle more..but he is also getting better off the ball as well (as well illustrate later)
Thoughts on Turner/Holiday - From reading quotes & seeing interviews with Coach Collins, it seems like he definitely does not see this as an either/or situation. When both are out on the court together, Collins sees those positions as almost interchangeable. Sometimes Evan will bring the ball up and initiate, other times Jrue will bring it up. Both players are versatile enough to play off of each other, but like anything it will take time to develop chemistry. (Holiday is nice, but is a young ball player himself)
Thoughts on Turner - As noted above, he struggled to find a rhythm in the first two games, but has looked much more comfortable on & off the ball since.
- Evan's court recognition off the ball is picking up, he's been able to get some easy buckets off nice cuts.
- His rebounding is what has really translated immediately from college to the pros. ET has grabbed 6 or more rebounds in 3 of the 5 pre-season games so far. His patented rebound and transition push out has been evident as well...Transition is where Turner can be really dangerous as a rookie..he gets that board and can either go or kick it out fast. On the break he can take it himself or facilitate teammates with his court feel.
- He is holding his own defensively, but at times #12 is learning how quick & strong some of these guys really are. On some nights he will be asked to stay with a speedster like Leandro Barbosa, other nights he try to defend a savvy vet like Ray Allen who might want to post Evan up..it will be a learning experience all season.
- Turner's free-throw shooting has been stellar (26 of 30 foul shots in 5 games so far)..this can be another weapon for the Sixers as Evan continues to get comfortable.
(Video - Philly at Boston 10.12.2010 - Preseason Game 4)
- Just some brief game clips to get a feel of Turner and the Sixers
(Clip Notes)
- Holiday finds a curling Turner off the ball who sets Iggy up for a jumper.
- Evan Turner hits his very first field goal in Philadelphia (first 3 games were away from PA)
- Turner handles the ball pressure up court and finds Thad Young for a give & go resulting in a bucket/foul against fellow rookie Luke Harangody.
- Court awareness - ET gets an errand pass and throws an outlet to guard Lou Williams for the easy bucket.
- Transition - Turner catches the outlet from Holiday and finds Speights for the dunk.
- Future is now - Turner grabs the rebounds and sets up a trailing Holiday for a nice in rhythm three pointer..these guys can play together.
Evan Turner vs Boston (Preseason 10.12.2010)
Uploaded by BuckeyeBallersTV. - Basketball,Pro Buckeye Hoop videos.
(Video - Philly at Toronto 10.13.2010 - Preseason Game 5)
-Philadelphia's most recent contest, and another good game for Turner (1st double-double: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5-5 from the line)
(Clip Notes)
- This is easy - Turner grabs the defensive rebound, gives Demar Derozen a quick light cross before finding the lefty Thad Young for a reverse layup.
- Off the ball - ET slips underneath the defense for the layup.
- The Villain type stuff - Evan gets the defensive rebound, at the other end it is the between the legs to the behind the back to the basket for the layup.
- Turner works with Iguodala for a left handed bucket.
- ET splits the defense at the top and slashes in for the score!
Evan Turner vs Toronto (Preseason 12.13.2010)
Uploaded by BuckeyeBallersTV. - More pro Buckeye hoop videos.
Stats & Pre-season results
Evan Turner Interview 10.18.2010
I needed good quality yoga clothing but could not visit the local market due to some busy schedule. My cousin suggested buying running bare yoga sets online. I checked out their collection and it was so good that I placed order for 2 pairs in a jiffy. The quality is also good. I love to wear those.
ReplyDelete