Wall vs. Turner
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Wall vs. Turner
Even though tomorrow night's game against the Washington Wizards won't, technically, be a matchup of No. 1 pick John Wall vs. No. 2 pick Evan Turner (Turner doesn't start, likely won't guard him often) it makes it interesting to watch the Top 2 picks in action, to compare the two players.
It's a lot more interesting than, say, watching two winless teams, with five losses between them, play each other on a Tuesday evening. So, Wall vs. Turner. You can check out the video of Evan Turner from today's practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It should be embedded in this post. We asked him about playing Wall, but he smiled and said he's "not feeding into that." Good answer.
"I don’t want it to be a pissing contest where all of a sudden you’re going back at each other," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "And they probably wont be guarding each other like that. It’s always going to be, well, we played New Jersey, ‘How did Derrick Favors do and how did Evan do?’ That’s human nature. The media focuses in on those guys when they’re playing and who’s doing well at a particular time. I told Evan, ‘Just play.'"
The comparisons aren't particularly fair considering Wall is starting and playing 39 minutes a game, most of the time with the ball in his hands, while Turner is coming off the bench, playing slightly more limited minutes, and mostly playing off the ball. Through three games, Turner is averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Through two games, Wall is averaging 21 points and 9 assists a game.
"John Wall is playing 35 minutes and he has the ball in his hands right now and Evan is coming off the bench for us and playing a certain role," Collins explained. "I don’t see anything in, ‘Who’s a better player?’ Or whatever. Evan is giving us a lot of good stuff and John Wall is doing great stuff for Washington."
Collins probably didn't intend to designate the play of Wall as "great" and the play of Turner as "good," but that's probably a fairly accurate assessment so far, one that Turner seemed to echo this afternoon.
"I did all right, I’ve been doing OK," Turner said. "Defensively, I’ve been doing the assignments they’ve asked me to do. I think I shot decently the first night, second night I didn’t shoot so well, but I think I took some pretty good shots. And third night I went in and out, but one thing is I contributed with rebounding and playing defense, so, I think I’ve been doing all right for the first week."
When asked if he thought his future in this league was as a point guard, Turner hesitated and then responded: "It’s whatever coach sets me in at the time. If I could choose, I’d give myself the ball 100 times, but you have to play as a team, play as a unit."
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
i think turner will be a solid pro. he defends well, he rebounds very well, and he can create his own shot and/or get to the basket. he needs to start soon.
He defends, he rebounds, he handles the ball well, he seems to have a work ethic and desire. He needs to shoot better, and he occassionally turns the ball over, but from my perspective there is a lot to like.— JohnFC- ET gonna be solid. Once he feels like he doesn't have to prove himself, when he feels like he wont get taken out of a game after a few mistakes or missed shots, he's gonna take off like a 747. Think a less explosive Penny, still with some explosion & a better defender/rebounder. Bank on it.— XmarksTheSpot
- For all the premature talk of a "bust", he has had a solid start. Based on his history, there is no reason to believe he won't continue to improve.
- Why are we even talking about this. We did not have the number 1 pick and never would have gotten John Wall anyway! Let's move on and support Evan!— ajcoia
- Trade Holliday and AI and make ET point. Nightmare matchup for most pt guards. BTW, Kate u look much hotter in ur video than on your PR pic, get a new picture for the post— davi
- Turner's been okay. I like his ability to get to the rim, handle the ball, rebound etc. That said, I haven't seen any evidence of a reliable jump shot. I mean, his jump shot is flat out ugly. He better develop one quick otherwise teams will just sag off of him and shut down his driving.— DennyP
Trade Holiday or Turner before we mess up both of them.— pedge- While I hope XMarks is right, I must agree with DennyP. Right now, and it is very early, admittedly, he looks like Iguodala light, good stats, weak technique on the jumper. Teams will back off him unless he hits that J. Agree with davi that Kate Fagan needs a new PR pic, but don't agree yet that Holiday needs to be moved and Turner installed at the point. Sixers certainly could use a professional point guard, however. I know, Andre Miller or Jameer Nelson. Oops!— chuckw
- Why do people keep saying Turner is a point guard. I see Turner as a guard, in the same way Kobe, Dwayne Wade, or Brandon Roy is a guard. All three of these players dominate the ball, can create their own shot, and are good passers. I think Tuner and Holiday can coexist, but the main person in the way is Iguodala. I think in order for Turner to grow you need to move Iguodala and see what you have there. He will never get an opportunity with the way the roster is right now because there are too many repeating parts. I think Turner's shot has been inconsistent, but a lot of that is because his shots aren't coming in the flow of the offense. At times he seems to be forcing it a bit as the entire team is in the half court.— Mattb
- I'm a little concerned with Turner saying he wishes Collins would "give him the ball 100 times"
Sounds like a guy that isn't confident in his role on the team today— azsixerfan - And if he said he wanted the ball a little bit and otherwise would defer to his teammates all the time people would say he wasn't the sort of player you draft #2 overall . . . like in football with excellent skill players, great players want the ball in their hands always. Desire doesn't equal selfishness etc.
— Leegles 
I think Turner will be a good player, eventually. I still think they should have taken Cousins, because they need a center who can rebound and defend the basket area.- Bravo Kate: much better picture. Doubtless, ESPN will be calling soon.— chuckw
- Glad u listened and got a new pic— davi
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
