Evan Turner

Evan Turner’s situational statistics support him as the second best prospect in this draft.

The third highest usage player in our sample at 21.4 possessions per-game (behind Dominique Jones and Aubrey Coleman), Turner’s limitations as a shooter are apparent on first glance. Despite scoring an average .929 points per-possession, he ranks first in overall field goal percentage at 51.2%. Clearly, Turner’s limitations from the perimeter hurt his productivity, but he was savvy enough to stick to what he was good at on the college level, excelling in a number of areas.

Turner ranks as the most efficient transition player in our rankings at 1.27 points per-possession, a testament to his ability to use his size and ball handling to make a major impact in the open floor, even though he only draws fouls on a slightly below average 9.6% of his fast break shots and a questionable 4.8% of his half court shots. His field goal percentage of 47.2% is the second best mark in non-transition sets, but he could definitely stand to get to the line at a higher rate to help his efficiency on the next level.

A limited spot up player because of a lack of touches (2 Pos/G) working off the ball as Ohio State’s primary ball-handler, Turner’s 0.7 PPP in isolation situations is below average as well. He compensates with impressive numbers on the pick and roll. With over 25.8% of his offense running coming from the two-man game, Turner scores a very impressive 1.029 PPP coming off of ball-screens. Clearly Turner is a player who will need the ball in his hands in the NBA to be successful.

Turner’s excellent shooting efficiency in half court settings is the result of his ability to get to the rim. His 5 shots at the rim per-game is good for third amongst his peers, and his 55.8% shooting is well above average. The majority of his 7.2 jump shots per-game come off of pull up shots, of which he hits a second ranking 42.3%. This part of his game is already tailor made to the NBA—which will help his transition significantly.

Though Turner had little trouble putting the ball in the basket last season, his lack of catch and shoot attempts (1.7 per-game) remains a concern. Though he won’t force many looks, Turner’s floor game won’t fully open up on the NBA level until he becomes a more capable shooter from range working off the ball. The degree to which he improves his shot will dictate how often he has to dominate the ball to put points on the board.

Regardless, any team looking for a dynamic shot-creator to give their half-court offense a huge shot in the arm would benefit greatly from Turner’s presence. This study does not even take into account his passing, rebounding or defensive skills, three of his best attributes, and which make him arguably the most versatile prospect in this draft.

Evan Turner has short arms relative to his height, coming out at a solid 6-5 3/4 without shoes, with a 6-8 wingspan. His wingspan is in fact shorter than that of John Wall, despite being 3 inches taller. That didn't seem to affect Turner at the college level as a rebounder (9.2 per game) or as a defender (he's one of the best perimeter stoppers in this draft), but it will be interesting to see how this affects his finishing ability in the NBA. Turner is considered average from an explosiveness standpoint.

Interestingly enough, Turner's measurements are quite similar to those of Brandon Roy (6-5 ¼ without shoes, 6-8 wingspan), the player he's most often compared to.

See how Turner stacks up historically with other shooting guards drafted in the top 15 in our measurements database.

The class of this roster in terms of pure talent, Evan Turner started off the tryouts slowly—looking to show off his playmaking skills primarily—but eventually settled down and put his versatile all-around game on full display. Turner was clearly the best ball-handler and shot-creator on the roster, getting extremely low with the ball and weaving in and out of traffic impressively with his excellent footwork and spin moves, often to finish with a pretty floater. He has a tendency to over-dribble at times and make some careless mistakes, but it’s tough to argue with he brings to the table as a shot-creator. His perimeter shooting was hit or miss, especially from beyond the 3-point line, but he did show a very nice ability to pull-up off the dribble and make shots from mid-range. It was very informative to see Turner outside the confines of Ohio State’s zone, as he was really able to show his potential as a big-time defender here, switching out onto guards and using his excellent size and length to keep his man in front of him and contest everything.

Despite a disappointing first round exit at the hands of the feisty Siena Saints, our opinion of Ohio State's star guard Evan Turner remains unchanged. After a near triple double (25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) in the biggest game of his young career against an experienced and tournament tested team, Turner showed great maturity and the ability to lead, with the defeat notwithstanding. This performance should not have come as a surprise to those who have been keeping a close eye on Turner, as he had an outstanding sophomore season and was recognized with first team all Big Ten honors.

Turner is one of only two players in the country to average at least 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists a game (Lester Hudson being the other), which is a great testament to his versatility and superb skill set. He can handle the ball, look over the defense to make good passes and also get to the basket virtually whenever he pleases. With an impressive 6'7 frame, it's not out of the question for Turner to play at least two and maybe even 3 positions at the next level.

The best part of Turner's game is in his ability to attack the basket. He can get there in a number of ways, whether it's beating his man off the dribble, or curling tightly off a screen. With that said, his go to move has to be his spin move. He's gotten better and better at this to a point where it is extremely difficult to defend. With the combination of his size and speed, coupled with his high basketball IQ and ability to change speeds, a move like this, if improved even further, can be very effective in the NBA.

This great knack for slashing to the basket has translated to an extraordinary 7.8 free throw attempts per 40 pace adjusted – and there is still room to grow. He's improved with using his upper body strength to draw contact, but he still resorts to floaters and in-between shots at times, when he could get all the way to the rim. This isn't too concerning, as the tear drop is necessary for his game. His improvement at the free throw line cannot be overlooked either - converting on almost 10 percentage points higher from the charity stripe than a year ago.

Turner's shot is still a work in progress. He displays good mechanics with a nice follow through, although his release is still slow and mechanical and lacking fluidity. His shot is more natural off the bounce than it is on catch and shoot opportunities and it's clear that he's more comfortable on his pull-ups – attempting double the amount of shots off the dribble than on the catch. He does shoot a respectable 42% off the catch however, albeit on a small sample size since he only attempts those when left wide open. His range is at about 15-17 feet right now, and if there is anything for him to improve upon this off-season, it will be just that. If he can develop a three point shot, he will be an even tougher matchup than he already is.

Due to injuries and a lack of depth in the backcourt for the Buckeyes this season, Turner was accountable for 25% of Ohio State's possessions this year – a major responsibility and a big reason for his 3.5 turnovers a game. Considering how often the ball is in his hands, that turnover rate isn't horrendous, but it's still an issue that has plagued his short career, and it's clearly something he needs to improve upon.

On the defensive end, he continues to show great promise. He's very keen to what's going happening on this end of the floor (1.8 steals) and appears to be into every defensive possession, whether it's in zone or man. His length and work ethic make him a bit of pest for opposing wings. Furthermore, he's a physical defender which makes him even more of an asset since he can defend bigger players.

Based on the comments he's made, it appears as if Turner will be returning to Columbus for his junior year, which should make all Buckeye fans ecstatic. He's clearly a high character guy and a pivotal part of their program in many ways. He wants the ball in late game situations and he also plays with a bit of chip on his shoulder. If he can put in the work to improve his outside shot and learn how to cut down on his turnovers, look for Turner to really blossom onto the national scene next season in what figures to be a competitive and up and coming Big Ten conference.

Although he’s been discussed repeatedly on this site for the past two and a half years, even we’ve had a hard time not being impressed with the progress Evan Turner has made from his freshman to sophomore year.

With Jamar Butler, Kosta Koufos and Othello Hunter out of the picture, Turner has stepped up his game and established himself as Ohio State’s clear-cut go-to guy, a leader on the floor and a Mr. Everything-type in the stat-sheet. His per-40 minute pace-adjusted stats (22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 5 turnovers, 51% FG) are simply off the charts at this point, even if the sample size is still small just ten games into the season and with a strength of schedule that leaves something to be desired. Still, the Buckeyes are 9-1 with solid wins over Notre Dame, Butler and Miami, which definitely stands for something, despite an embarrassing home loss this weekend to West Virginia.

Turner grew an inch over the summer, and now stands a very imposing 6-7 for a wing player. He’s a clear-cut shooting guard prospect for the NBA, even if he’s been forced to play as many as four different positions this season for Ohio State. With second option David Lighty out for the next 6-12 weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, the Buckeyes will be asking Turner to do even more for them on both ends of the court. Looking at the way Turner has embraced his new role this season—never shying away from responsibility on the court and often directing traffic out on the floor—that likely won’t be a problem for him.

What stands out the most about Turner’s play this season—besides his terrific versatility—is just how naturally his game appears to translate to the next level. Incredibly smooth and fluid, almost effortless in his movements, and clearly the type that everything comes quite naturally for, Turner does an outstanding job creating offense for himself and others. He loves to come off short curls and flex-type screens to catch and shoot jumpers from 15-17 feet, but he’s clearly at his best when operating on the perimeter with the ball in his hands.

Turner does a masterful job in the triple threat position, showing an advanced understanding for utilizing jabs, body fakes, crossovers and hesitation moves to keep his defender off-balance. He is terrific at changing speeds and directions with the ball in his hands, looking perfectly capable of creating shots with either hand, and is absolutely deadly creating separation from his matchup with his picture perfect pull-up jumper.

His demeanor and style of play is eerily reminiscent Brandon Roy at Washington, even if his skill-level obviously isn’t as high at this point. Not quite the incredible passer Roy is, he’s still pretty good in his own right, particularly off the dribble. With a rookie point guard running the show for OSU at the moment, they’ve turned quite a bit to Turner to help break a full-court press and get them into their offense.

Perimeter shooting appears to be an area that Turner has improved on substantially, even if it might be a bit early still to draw any final conclusions. He’s made six of the eleven 3-pointers he’s attempted this season, showing a slow, deliberate release, but very fundamental and consistent mechanics. His free throw shooting is up from 70 to 75% this season as well, and he’s drawing over six attempts per game, which is very solid. Continuing to shoot the ball at a good rate from beyond the arc will be huge for his draft stock.

Another area of improvement lies in his post-up game, something that Ohio State has turned to repeatedly taking advantage of mismatch situations. Turner has terrific footwork and a beautiful turnaround jumper, both of which he’s utilized repeatedly this season in the paint.

Turnovers have been an issue for Turner from very early in his freshman campaign as a Buckeye, and this season has not been an exception thus far. He was amongst the NCAA leaders in turnovers per possessions last season—coughing up the ball on 30% of his possessions, and that has dropped to a still poor 24% this year. The excessive amount of offensive responsibilities he’s forced to shoulder on a team that is sorely lacking in shot-creators has a lot to do with this, but he really needs to do a better job not being so careless with the ball. He has a tendency to look out of control with his drives at times, and will suffer the occasional mental lapses trying to make very complicated passes in the half-court.

A place that Turner can definitely afford to make strides in is in his ability to get all the way to the rim and finish strong. He lacks some upper body strength and explosiveness taking contact at the basket, and tends to get a little too cute with his finishes at times. Getting a little bit tougher and learning how to finish better amongst the trees will be a priority for him once he reaches the NBA, in order to compensate for his good, but not amazing athleticism.

Defensively, Turner appears to project very well to the next level, as he has great size and length for his position and also puts a good effort on this end of the floor. He’s active and fundamentally sound and doesn’t appear to take any possessions off. His numbers definitely support this claim, as he gets in the passing lanes at an outstanding rate (actually making him the best ball-thief amongst all players in our database), and also rebounds the ball exceptionally well. Ohio State’s extreme reliance on zone defenses makes him a little bit difficult to properly evaluate at times, and as mentioned the competition level hasn’t been great thus far, so we’ll have to continue to watch him as the season moves on.

All in all, there aren’t many players in college basketball who have improved as much as Evan Turner, and very few of them share the combination of physical tools and versatile skills that he does as an exceptionally talented 6-7 shooting guard. If he keeps this up, he could very well establish himself as one of the more intriguing wing prospects in this year’s draft. Only a sophomore, there isn’t a huge rush for Turner to jump to the NBA too soon. Considering how weak this draft is shaping up to be, though, he might have a hard time passing up the prospects of being a lottery pick—as early as it might be right now to be saying that.

A player who flew under the radar for most of last season, Evan Turner should definitely be getting more attention at Ohio State this year with Kosta Koufos and Jamar Butler now out of the picture. Turner, a versatile and scrappy two-way wing player, showed a lot of nice flashes last season, including his 17-point and 20-point performances in the semifinals and finals of the NIT Tournament, helping lead Ohio State to the title.

Turner brings a lot of positive things to the table on the offensive end, including good ball-handling skills for a wing, possessing a low, controlled dribble with both hands, and a decent array of advanced moves in his arsenal, including a crossover he uses frequently. He doesn’t have a very explosive first step, but he is quick with the ball in his hands, barely slowing down from his normal speed. This is a great asset to have, but sometimes it’s to his disadvantage, when his body gets ahead of his mind, leading to turnovers. While Turner is skilled with the ball, he has some major issues with turnovers at this point, having the 7th worst turnover-per-possession ratio in our entire database, turning the ball over on 30% of all possessions. One of the biggest things he needs to work on to improve this is doing a better job of protecting the ball in the lane, and always being aware of defenders around him (especially those coming from behind). He also is prone to a lot of rookie mistakes, like leaving his feet before making a pass, moving his feet before putting the ball on the ground, or just trying to force a pass or drive into too small a space. At times he actually shows very good decision-making skills and court vision, and it seems most of the issue here is just playing the game faster than he’s ready for.

Turner’s jump shot is a work in progress, but something that seemed to improve later in the season, where he cleaned up his mechanics some, keeping full extension on all his releases and cutting down on a tendency for his arm to drift to the right. When he has space and gets his feet set, his shot is pretty good, but he struggles when rushed, as his release isn’t the quickest in the world. Pulling up, Turner has nice touch and body control, and can go to floaters and runners consistently, but he often has times transitioning the ball from dribble to shot, going too quick and losing full control of the ball. When he takes the ball to the basket, Turner shows nice craftiness on reverses and can hit some good floaters, but he’s lacking the strength and/or explosiveness to be a consistent finisher around the rim at this point.

Turner shows some flashes of point guard ability with drive-and-dishes and pick-and-rolls, but he’s going to really need to cut down on his high turnover rate if this position is in his future, even part-time. With Jamar Butler out of the picture, he’ll have some more opportunities to show what he can do here.

On the defensive end, Turner is a standout, playing with great intensity, focus, and fundamentals. He reads opposing players well, and has good reflexes to boot, which coupled with his intensity-level makes him very tough on the perimeter. He recovers well when he makes mistakes, rarely is caught out of his stance, and always runs out to contest shots. His biggest weakness is his lateral quickness, which isn’t great, as he can get beat by quicker opponents, but he compensates for this somewhat with his length, intensity, and by having good positioning and awareness. On the weakside, he anticipates very well and has nice hands, which help him get his 1.3 steals per game.

While Turner definitely has a lot of things to work on, he’s shown flashes of good things in almost all areas, and could be on the verge of a breakout season with more touches available, if he put in the proper work this offseason. If he fills in some of the weak areas of his game, it’ll be interesting to see if he can improve on his consistency, as his scoring totals fluctuated wildly from game-to-game, with 15 games with 5 points or under and 15 games with 10 points or more. He’s probably another season or two away from the NBA, but he could become a very versatile option at the wing if he continues to improve.

After the best recruiting class in school history last season, Thad Matta followed up his 2007 group with another strong class in 2008. While 7-footer Kosta Koufos may have been the headliner, 4-star guard Evan Turner has made his presence felt as well, and has shown plenty of promise for the future.

Turner has a nice frame for a shooting guard. At 6’6” he has very good length, which helps him on both ends of the floor. His weight is listed at 200 pounds, but this is very generous as Turner is probably closer to 185, so some size and strength do need to be added. The good news though is he looks like he has a frame that will be able to support the necessary weight gain. Turner isn’t a tremendously explosive athlete but is a very smooth one. He shows great timing and body control, and changes speeds with great fluidity.

By far and away the biggest percentage of Turner’s touches come from his moving off the ball and catching passes in spot up situations. In these situations Turner has shown that he is more of a slasher than a perimeter shooting threat, putting the ball on the floor nearly 75% of the time. By far one of the most impressive and encouraging aspects of Turner’s game are his ball handling skills and ability to take defenders in either direction. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Turner drives to his right at nearly an equal frequency as he does to his left. It is rare to see a freshman, let alone any collegiate player, so comfortable driving to either side at this stage in his development. Turner has a low, controlled dribble that, as has previously been mentioned on this site, reminds to a certain extent of Brandon Roy.

Coupled with his great ball-handling skills, Turner shows tremendous amounts of craftiness when it comes to breaking defenders down off the dribble. While his first step may only be average, he has a wide array of moves he uses to get himself to the basket. Turner possesses a pretty good crossover dribble, quick jab steps and a nice spin move. He clearly has a good basketball IQ in the half court set, and has a pretty good nose for the hoop when on the move. Once in the lane, he shows some nice ability to finish in traffic thanks to his touch around the rim; Turner would however benefit from adding some additional muscle to help with the contact he faces from defenders.

While his length and above average athleticism make him a good finisher when driving, Turner shows the most promise with his ability to shoot off the dribble from mid-range. He has a very fluid pull up move, which is very effective when he has room to maneuver in the half court set. He struggles to create the same kind of separation in traffic facing more contact, though, and getting stronger would help in this aspect of his game.

Turner appears to have pretty good mechanics on his shot with his feet set, although a somewhat slow and inconsistent release point does hamper him on occasion. When rushed, he doesn’t seem to have great balance, leaning forward a bit on his release. While inside the arc there isn’t a tremendous effect on his shot, Turner does shoot a lower percentage from the perimeter than he probably should. He only shoots two three-pointers per game, but his 35% clip from this range could improve if he shored up his release point. In the long run it is very plausible that the pull up mid-range jumper will become the staple of Turner’s game, ala Anthony Parker.

With the skill set and fluidity that he possesses in the half court set, it would seem that Turner would have similar success when he has the ball in transition as well; this isn’t the case though. Despite showing flashes of being a big time threat on the break, Turner still has some growing to do as a player in this aspect of his game. He tends to make the types of mistakes one would expect from a freshman with his kind of game: forcing the issue more often than not and making poor decisions with shot selection. These types of mistakes though will be alleviated as he gains experience and goes through the natural progression of growth as a player.

As a defender, it was tough to get a full sense of Turner’s capabilities due to Ohio State playing a lot of zone defense this season. While his length and agility allow him to effectively fill passing lanes and intercept passes (he averages over a steal per game), his lateral quickness is just average, so he struggles against quicker perimeter players—although he does compete fairly well trying to contest shots. As a rebounder he shows promise due to his wingspan and timing, but added strength would definitely allow him to build on his freshman numbers of just over four rebounds per game. The fact that Turner seems to put a good amount of effort into this end of the floor (he would not be getting so many minutes for Thad Matta otherwise) bodes very well for him moving forward.

Turner is a player that hasn’t gotten a ton of recognition this year because he hasn’t been a major part of the Buckeye offense. With that said though, he shows a tremendous amount of potential and could very easily become an all-conference type performer in time with hard work in the off season. It is a little too early to gauge Turner’s prospects for an NBA career, but he certainly possesses some nice tools for the 2-guard position, and already has a solid skill set. Simply allowing himself to mature physically and grow naturally will make him into an exciting player for Ohio State in the future.

Chicago native Evan Turner was quietly one of the more consistent performers on the first day of practice. He handled the ball well in the open floor, got all of his teammates involved, and shot the ball much better from the perimeter then he has in the past. While comparisons to Brandon Roy might be a bit far fetched at the moment, the similarities in their game are certainly present. Turner has shown the ability to play all three perimeter positions, and might be forced into playing all three at times next year at Ohio State, if Mike Conley Jr. decides to throw his name into the NBA Draft. In order for him to effectively reach his potential however, he must work diligently upon his consistency shooting the ball from the perimeter as well as his level of strength (weighs only 185 lbs at the moment).

The 6'6 Ohio State commit led his undersized, under-talented Illinois Wolves squad to a big victory over the Worldwide Renegades (led by top 30 players Chris Allen and J.J. Hickson) in an early game at the BigTime. Turner showed many why some feel he has the ability to make the full time transition to point guard at the college level with his silky smooth game and great court vision for a player of his size. He absolutely took over the baseline, often finishing with a reverse lay-up. What was even more impressive however is that Evan almost ambidextrously used both hands, converting multiple tough inside buckets with his left hand. His cerebral style of play will certainly fit in Columbus where he will join a loaded class of 2007 recruiting class in Kosta Koufos, Dallas Lauderdale, and Jon Diebler.

One thing Turner will have to work on however before he reaches college is his outside shooting. The Chicago native only took one perimeter jumpshot the entire game (a three pointer that he made), and that will not cut it at the collegiate level, whereas it does now in AAU. He will need to at least have the ability to keep defenses honest by being a threat to knock down the 18 foot jumper, or they will learn to play off of him enough to cut off his graceful baseline game.