The Portland Trail Blazers have won four of their last five games but Evan Turner isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard.
Evan Turner‘s playmaking abilities for the Portland Trail Blazers are not in question, his assist percentage is the highest it’s been since he joined the team (22.5). His ability to score, though, has been less impressive.
His performance in Thursday’s 120-106 road win against the Phoenix Suns is the perfect example of what he does for the team. Turner had seven assists and four rebounds in 24 minutes, but he scored just two points on 1-for-4 shooting.
A former No. 2 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA Draft, Turner is in the third season of a four-year/$70 million deal with the Trail Blazers. His overall versatility and ability to play different positions has been a valuable asset off the bench, but the team needs him to score more.
The Trail Blazers would have benefitted from a more solid effort from Turner in Tuesday’s 123-114 road loss against the Thunder, when he finished with just four points on 2-for-3 shooting with two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers.
Evan Turner didn’t shoot poorly – he missed just just one attempt – but having your sixth man finish with just three attempts is not ideal when facing a top Western Conference team. What concerns me even more is that he wasn’t able to impact the game like he usually does. Often this year, his scoring has lacked but is made up for by his rebounding and playmaking.
Evan Turner making some nice plays out of the post early. Meyers Leonard looking to screen for Lillard, nice read by Dame to go backdoor and draw the foul #NBACast https://t.co/MZJKpQsTvg pic.twitter.com/jYoXIvsFxn
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) January 22, 2019
The eight-year veteran currently averages 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and four assists in 24.4 minutes over 49 games. He is shooting .472 from the floor, despite shooting a career-worst .167 from 3-point range.
His accuracy isn’t the problem. He’s made 14 of his last 30 shots, but he’s averaging just six attempts per game over his last five contests. Turner needs to be more involved in Portland’s offense. Though he’s helped the team during this recent stretch, putting up 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, he’s scoring just six points in 22.6 minutes.
Turner’s performance in Monday’s impressive 109-104 road win against the Jazz shows exactly what the Trail Blazers need from him on a regular basis. He was aggressive, attempting eight shots, and finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes.
In this win, Turner took smart shots, rebounded well, facilitated the offense, and led the second-unit while the starters rested. He needs to do this regularly. The Trail Blazers believed he could be a significant contributor two years ago, and he has to prove them right. He has the talent but must embrace his role on the team and trust his shot.
If Evan Turner plays well and improves as a scorer the Trail Blazers can be competitive against anyone. Hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday will be a great opportunity for Turner to show what he’s made of, as the team depends on his production off the bench. With Turner rolling offensively, this Portland team should easily win their upcoming contest.