Cooney: Evan Turner can relate to Okafor, Noel
THE SMATTERING of boos that welcomed Evan Turner back to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night turned into a rumble, then a roar and finally into a thunderous union of displeasure rained down upon someone who was the 76ers' No. 2 overall selection in 2010. Some of the reaction was simply fun, as Sixers fans are riding a four-year high right now with the team playing the best basketball of that time and Joel Embiid sparking comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain.
THE SMATTERING of boos that welcomed Evan Turner back to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night turned into a rumble, then a roar and finally into a thunderous union of displeasure rained down upon someone who was the 76ers' No. 2 overall selection in 2010. Some of the reaction was simply fun, as Sixers fans are riding a four-year high right now with the team playing the best basketball of that time and Joel Embiid sparking comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain.
Turner was the consensus college player of the year after his junior season at Ohio State, when he averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and six assists. His game was sort of old-school basketball - a player who could create for himself, who thrived with the ball in his hands and had more of a midrange game than the long-bombing one of other shooting guards. He had ideal size at 6-7 to be paired in the backcourt with 6-4 Jrue Holiday, who had just finished his first season with the club. Turner was the yin to Holiday's yang, and visions of a backcourt duo holding down the positions for years to come thrilled most fans of the organization.
Like most rookies, Turner struggled early and questions about his outside shooting grew and grew as he labored in that area. Fans grew impatient; Turner and coach Doug Collins often didn't see eye-to-eye on how he was being used and it all became a mess. Then at the trade deadline of 2014, Turner, by then playing for Sam Hinkie, whom he described as "not my general manager," and coach Brett Brown, was dealt to the Indiana Pacers, a team that was in serious contention to come out of the Eastern Conference, eventually losing to Miami in the conference finals.
Turner was at a crossroads in his career, as now it hit him smack in the face that he was a role player on a legitimate contender. His dream of being a star in the league was popped, so he had to figure out where he belonged.
He signed with Boston and flourished as a reserve for Brad Stevens for two seasons, parlaying that into a four-year, $70 million contract this offseason with Portland. Now at 28, he is the oldest member of the team and remains one of the best players off the bench in the league.
He understands what Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, the two Sixers centers who, like him, envisioned themselves as stars in the NBA, are going through. The problem for them is that Embiid is now the cornerstone of this organization and their path to stardom, at least in Philadelphia, has been halted.
"It's a maturity thing, eventually," Turner said of the situation presented to Okafor and Noel. "At the end of the day, it's just getting where you fit in. It's not much that you can control if you're not getting the time you want. You just have to control what you can and be the best you can in that role. That's what I tried to do. Even though I thought I could be great as a starter, I just convinced myself that I was going to be the best player off the bench and make the most impact that I could. I think those two are talented enough to impact the game every time they touch the floor."
Noel has been the main backup for Embiid of late, getting in about 20 minutes a night and doing well what he does best - protecting the rim, running the floor and rebounding well with the second unit. Okafor's role has been diminished to being the starter when Embiid sits on back-to-backs, expected to perform at a high level on those rare opportunities. Not an easy situation for either, Okafor a No. 3 overall pick and Noel a No. 6.
But the two have handled it well of late, probably better than Turner himself could have admitted to doing so at their young ages. Noel has said all the right things of late and has mostly played hard in his backup role while Okafor has put in a great amount of work to be at his best when he's summoned.
"It's hard for them," Turner said. "You have a franchise dude in Embiid that the city loves and that they're sitting behind. I think the biggest thing when it comes down to it, is the end result - winning. When you win, everything benefits greatly. You can sit around and pout and complain and it's not going to turn out the way you want. We're pros. I know they're young but it's about being mature about it. That's the biggest thing, accepting it and being mature about it. I know Jahlil and Nerlens both have great talent. They're still just 21 and 22 years old. They can, eventually, go elsewhere and get an opportunity and make the most of it. The biggest thing is getting better every day and staying in tune with the game and weed out the BS.
"The fact that they are both working so hard through what I'm sure is a difficult time for them, says a lot. It's probably a big reason why the team is playing so well."
It's a testament to Noel and Okafor that they, for the majority, have handled the situation so admirably. It also says a lot about Brown, who has been praised by both of them for his transparency in how this is going to play out day-to-day. And if the two now-backups need further motivation, just look how well it worked out for Turner.
@BobCooney76
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