Evan Turner‘s transition from being one of the most important pieces for the Boston Celtics to a potential sixth man for the Portland Trail Blazers hasn't been a smooth one.
The Ohio State product is averaging a meager 6.7 points per game while shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from deep. Turner has not reached the 30-minute mark in any of his first 11 games of the season, coming closest on Sunday's matchup against the Denver Nuggets, where he played 29 minutes and had a disappointing 5-of-17 night from the floor.
His numbers are considerably poor considering the lucrative $70 million contract he signed this offseason. Despite averaging 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists, his plus-minus rating of minus-110 is 35 points behind the second-lowest rating in the league (Brandon Knight, minus-75).
The Blazers starting backcourt features very dominant ball-handlers in Damian Lillard (31 usage rate) and C.J. McCollum (25.5 usage rate), rendering Turner as a spot shooter when they're on the court.
“What can you possibly do?” Turner asked following his team's narrow 122-120 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday, according to CSN Northwest's Jason Quick. “When you get three shots and play 27 minutes … that's not a knock, because we have the best guards in the league, but I mean, what can I possibly do besides be accountable to defense, take care of the ball, rebound, and play the floor? Where I just came from, I had the ball in my hands tons of times to make plays.”
Turner's inability to be a reliable (sometimes unwilling) three-point shooter has got him out of favor with head coach Terry Stotts, who prefers guards like Allen Crabbe that can provide outside shooting for penetrating guards like Lillard and McCollum.
“Obviously, everybody is paying attention offensively, and I mean, I think I'm playing the best I possibly can for the situation,'” Turner added. “It's not even ‘I'm only getting three-or-four shots' … it is what it is. We've been winning, and that's pretty much it. I think I'm helping rebounding, defending, and I think I've gotten better taking care of the ball.”
Stotts has praised his overall effort on the court, but it's clear that the 28-year-old will have to take a few steps forward on offense if he hopes to be a part of the team past this season.
“I think everybody is kind of targeting Evan and I don't think that is necessarily very fair,” Stotts said. “The game against (Memphis) he didn't take a shot and played very well. He's playing good defense, he's adapting … it's a process. He's a smart basketball player, has high basketball IQ and he is only going to get better.”
“What can you knock if you are winning?” Turner said. “These dudes are making the right plays, the right reads, and you fit in where you fit in. The (four-year, $70-million) contract is going to draw attention, but even if I didn't have a big contract I'm an easy target, so that doesn't keep me up. As long as we are winning, it's not about me.”
The Blazers (7-4) have won the games they were supposed to win, but have failed to make a statement against the West-leading L.A. Clippers (twice) and the Golden State Warriors, winning only one game against a team with a record above .500.
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