NBA Draft: Stock Watch
By Aran_Smith
Fri, 01/15/2010
Rising:
Evan Turner
Evan Turner 6-6 205 PG/SG Ohio St. Jr.
Evan Turner was supposed to miss 6 weeks but mended quickly and was able to return after only a month missing just 6 ball games. His loss was felt as the Buckeyes split those games going 3-3.
Turner didn't take long to get back into the swing of things.
The junior star showed that his early season heroics against lesser competition was no fluke with his 32 point, 9 rebound effort, leading the Buckeyes past Purdue on Tuesday.
With 4 minutes remaining in the game, down 10 points (62-52) Turner put together the most impressive performance of any player so far this year.
In just his third game back, with his Mom watching in the arena, playing against one of the stingiest defenses in college basketball, Turner put Ohio State on his back.
He scored 14 straight points as the Purdue guards could not contain his penetration and he got to the rim virtually at will. His barrage gave Ohio State a 2 point lead (66-64) with 1:14 left, and the Boliermakers were deflated, losing 70-66.
Turner's proficiency creating off the dribble is his greatest asset, but he shows the versatility to excel in many facets of the game. He's got excellent body strength allowing him to overpower opponents and finish around the rim.
With such a great performance against a quality team, it's becoming clear that Turner will have an excellent shot of landing in the top 3-5 picks, barring another injury.
Turner's statistics on the year are extremely impressive: 18.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg, and 5.6 apg.
He still needs to shore up his outside shooting (31% from 3). But as one scout recently pointed out, shooting is the easiest skill to improve upon entering the league. Also, he knocked down the key three pointer when he needed it against Purdue.