Evan Turner’s ceiling

I see his ceiling as a great role player.

I mean, maybe he could make an All-Star game, but I just don’t see him becoming a star.

Regardless, I see him playing a valuable role on a team though. He can handle the ball. He rebounds very well from his position. He defends well. He’s tough. His jumpshot needs to keep improving and he needs to continue learning how to play without the ball though.

I still like Turner as a player.

 I’d rather discuss more likely comparisons. I say Billy Owens. I dont see anything special about the kid at all.

 I would compare his ceiling to be, like Indiana said, a great role player. My comparison would be Lamar Odom, not for the skillset or physical abilities obviously but for what he could mean for his team. I don’t think he can ever become a true stud in this league (which is disappointing considering he was drafted #2 overall), but I think he can be recognized as one of the top 50 of the league and could be a great sixth man (or productive starter) for his team for years to come.

I see a PG/SG/SF v. of Grant Hill as opposed to SG/SF/PF. 

Not the young Grant Hill who at one point was said to be the next MJ, but around a 28 year old version of Grant. The Orlando Magic/Phoenix Suns version of Grant…just hopefully without the injuries. 

I see him as a 16 points, 6 boards, and 4-5 dimes a game sort of player in his prime, and he definatly has the potential to run an offense, but his impact on a team or game will definatly go past stats and numbers.

 Old school comparison – A slightly taller Dennis Johnson.. hear me out

Honestly, I’m really high on Turner. Living in the suburbs outside of Philly I’m not ready to count him out like other people have already started. I’m on the same agreement with IndianaBasketball and M-DYMES. I don’t see him being that go to guy for a team BUT I would love having him on my team as a starter. I think he is very fundamental and if he can’t find ways to score, he will do the little things. His jumper needs work and he needs continue to get better in little areas but seeing him get 16, 6 and 4 is not way out there. Do those numbers merit an all-star? Probably not. But this guy would rather win a game than worry about being an all-star. Dennis Johnson on the Celtics was never the go to guy but he did whatever was needed for the team to help. Philly still needs that #1 guy but Turner is a perfect compliment to anyone IMO. Plus, in late game situations, he loves having that pressure on him. I saw it last year when I went to a PHI-GSW game and that was one of his best games of the season. Late down in the game he was composed and was doing a lot of good things.

Statistically speaking, I think in his prime he could average something like 20, 6ast, 5rb….He might make a couple all-star games, but not many.

I dont know if Philly is the right fit for Evan. I think he has a little Brandon Roy in him. Evan is ball dominate and like Roy, Lebron, Wade, and a few others, Evans is at his best with the ball in his hand. Im not saying he is in the category of any of those players i mentioned, but that he does need to ball to have any type of success at this level.

Turner will struggle greatly playing off the ball, I think he has to go to a team willing to let him run the show or at least try, before we know what he is capable of. But right here, right now, in Philly, I dont see Turner, being much better or as good as a John Salmons maybe.

Give the kid the rock and you’ll all remember why everyone was so high on him come draft time. He got drafted into the worst possible situation. The only reason Philly took him because they didn’t want to look like idiots when in a few years he’s making allstar teams in Jersey or Minny. 20/6/6 if he landed on a team that let him play his game.

he’s a fantastic rebounder, has such great timing and hangtime!

 And whats Wesley Johnsons ceiling

I see his ceiling as Ron Harper in his prime ( I’m talking about Harper before joining the Bulls).

t-mac without the range and killer instinct.

Evan Turner didn’t play a whole ton last year because his skills without the ball were not on par with what is needed at the NBA level. Coach Collins ran him off a lot of screens for mid-range jumpers/isolations through out the year, and while he did strugle shooting the ball, he is only going to get better with time.

If we can have a season this year, I expect ET to start at 2 guard and challenge for leading the team in scoring. You have to remember that the Sixers have a lot of guys who can score the basketball and Collins uses all of them. Lou, Jrue, Iggy, Meeks, Thad, Brand, Hawes (not my choice but Collins loves him), and Turner. This really shows that the Sixers are in desperate need of a 2 or 3 for 1 trade.

I don’t know if "killer instinct" is an attribute T-Mac had… 

13 points in 35 seconds isnt killer instinct???

i think ET can be a starter on some teams…i wasnt big on him coming out of college TBH…hes a good all around player but there are tons of guys like that…the NBA is a league of specialists and i dont think he has a speciality really…

his best chance is to work on his defense and become a lock-down defender who can guard 1-3

Yea T-Mac had his moments and he was competitive but I don’t throw the "killer instinct" term around often. Kobe has a killer instinct. Allen Iverson had a killer instinct. KG and Shaq as well. See what I’m saying?

 if he gets the ball in his hands with a chance to run the team his ceiling is brandon roy…smooth handles decent shot shoukd be able to elevate over defender woth his size

 Disagree that KG had a killer instinct if T-Mac didn’t. IMO, neither did, simply that KG had a more intense passion, but he often punked out when it came closing time as well.

AS for Turner, I see a guy who can bring you 14,6,4. Kinda reminds me of a bigger Aaron McKie. Not a star, not a lockdown defender, not someone who will wow you, but can steadily do a little bit of everything, play smart, and won’t get in the way of the "stars". Probably will be a better rebounder than McKie though.

His downside is probably something like Luke Walton between 06-08.

Turner Lacks the Confidence & Cockiness to be a superstar..He’s a very humble and shy kid..And last year in Philly he seemed to be Overwhelmed  by the spotlight and didnt perform as well as many had expected..But if you watched him play his rookie,he does have the talent to be a special player…If you can remember it took him a while at Ohio State to become a star player..

honestly, i think the only thing evan turner wont do at an elite level as a 2 guard is score. He will still be a very good scorer just not elite like Monta Ellis, Dwayne Wade and Kobe. His defense, rebounding, passing, and intangibles will all be at elite 2 guard levels. So I think his ceiling is probably 4 or so all star games(depends on how good the teams he plays on). I can see him averaging in his best years 18 to 21 ppg, 6 to 7 rpg and 4 or 5 apg, with good defense. I think he is a very good 2nd option type player.

 @Rudeboy what about Derrick Rose? He doesn’t exactly show that cockiness either… But he also won some kind of award last year for being the best..? Just saying. Being cocky will help you if your abilities aren’t up to those NBA elite levels, but once you’re there you don’t need to prove that you are one of the best athletes and players in the world.

So with Evan Turner being talked about as someone who could *potentially* be a star… How does and will he compare to Paul George? What about in like 5 years? Who will be the better of the two?

You can see Rose’s confidence in his game….You don’t have to be boastful or talk alot to be cocky..Micheal Jackson had that quiet cockiness…Rose isn’t afraid to try things on the floor..Turner has learned that yet..But i think he will..I think he can be a top 25 player 1 day…You can tell it by the way he played turned the end of the season..Once he improves his jump shot,he will gain that confidence…

Right now its hard to say,who will be better in 5 years Paul George or Turner..I have to see how much they’ve progressed this year,before i make that judgement…They’re both to Incomplete packages…

 I think his ceiling from a stat wise is something around 14-16 ppg 6-7 rebounds and 4.5 apg.  I don’t see this kind of production for his whole career, but I do think he’ll be a good player and like some of you guys said, a starter who might make an All-Star game or two.

It is tough to have a lot of confidence when you come in as the #2 pick and Jodie Meeks starts ahead of you. You guys have to understand that Doug Collins is not down with counting on rookies. If Turner still doesn’t get playing time this year then we have a problem lol.

Anyone watch this kid play against the Heat in the playoffs?? If so, please tell me where you saw a lack of confidence. A lack of cockyness is never a bad thing btw. 

People usually hate my comparisons but I think Penny Hardaway/Jason Kidd..

Lets be honest, Turner is better with the ball in his hand and he needs to be a PG…

Look at the great PGs that were big…

Penny/Magic/Lebron/Livingston(looking great before injury)

There havent been many and I dont think he is a HOF player but he will be a good one in the right situation.. He could play the 2 with a guy like  Mo Williams because Williams can play the 2 guard role on offense..

However, I think he is best playing point next to a guy like Eric Gordon, OJ Mayo, Ray Allen.

yeah, he needs to be paired with a guy thats a really good outside shooter…

 How did I get so many negatives lol? I think people are underrating how good McKie was in his prime. He was able to play both guard spots, d up, score and was even a 6MOY. As for Walton he was a terrific player in his own right between 06-08 when he was healthy. He was able to initiate the offense and actually made players better believe it or not. I personally think people comparing him to guys like Penny, and co saying he’s going to be a 20,5,5 guy are going overboard a little bit. He’ll be a good player, but that’s about it. His ballhandling isn’t at an elite level despite what you hear about him. It’s good, but he doesn’t have any kind of crazy advanced dribble moves, and his "PG SKILLS" are not as great as advertised either as he’s not the kind of guy who is going to make teammates better and will more than likely post a poor a:t ratio if asked to play the point full time. People should actually be happy if he turns out to be as good as McKie, Walton between 06-08 or  Mike Miller w.o. the knockdown jumper.

He is absolutley nothing like Aaron "Three ball from the corner" McKie. Apples and Spinach. 

It’ not there games I’m comparing, it’s what they did for their teams and individually.

I don’t agree with that but I totally understand where you r coming from now.

I always liked him to Penny

T-Mac without an outside game and ability to run an offense is a dumbed down Demar DeRozan, and no, that isn’t his game.

aamir, i never said he couldn’t run an offense, I think quite the opposite. As far as T-Mac the comparision seems wrong the more I think of it. I just kind of thought the way he played and defended. How bout shorter Hedo without a 3 and better rebounding.

Ehh, sort of, I can see where you are coming from. Like you said, the main difference is that Turner’s game is midrange to inside, and Hedo’s is Outside to midrange.

And although Turner isn’t too athletic, he is still a much better althlete than Hedo, and has the potential to be a much, much better defender.

And although Hedo wasn’t bad at playing point foward, I don’t think he should play that sort style any more because he doesn’t have the quickness to get his own shot the way he did in the 08 and 09 playoffs.

 I think his ceiling’s still pretty good despite as poor a year as you can get from a no.2 pick with three years of college experience.  He’s a good rebounder and a fine passer and is capable of putting up 7 rebounds and 5/6 assists.  Those numbers would put him in a good class of perimeter player.  Only his scoring needs to come along and as much as I could gleam, he can get to any spot on the floor he wants and has fairly good touch.  A 18-20, 7 and 5 line with solid defense is the line of a very valuable player.  I don’t think he was projected as a superstar player anyway so a borderline 2/3 as far as ranking on a championship team would be fulfilling expectations.

If his teams end up winning, he could end up with 5 or 6 all-star appearances.  I wouldn’t be surprised.