Andre Iguodala vs. Evan Turner: Comparing Different Aspects of Their Game

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In many ways, it's unfair to compare a young prospect like Evan Turner to an established All-Star like Andre Iguodala. At this stage of their careers, Iguodala is clearly the better NBA player. His offensive game is far more developed and refined, his defensive game benefits greatly from his veteran savvy and experience and his status as an established All-Star means that he sees a great deal more playing time.  

Despite all of that, it is still possible to successfully and fairly compare Iguodala to Turner—we just need to change the metrics a bit. Interested? Read on to find out just how well the "Other AI" stacks up against ET. 

Athletic Ability

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Evan Turner: Above-average athlete with exceptional quickness, a good first step and solid jumping ability. He has the speed to play the point and the size to play the small forward spot. Needs to improve his strength and continue to work on his conditioning, but otherwise is solid all around.

Andre Iguodala: Absolutely phenomenal athlete. Iguodala possesses great quickness, a tremendous first step and out-of-this-world jumping ability. He is very strong with the ball and is more than capable of holding off larger defenders and exploding to the rim.

Advantage: Andre Iguodala

Vision and Passing Ability

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Evan Turner: Turner possesses above-average passing ability and superb on-court vision. He combines his natural passing touch with a very high basketball IQ well, enabling him to anticipate the play and make the appropriate pass. Turner does sometimes misread the play or try to force a pass into traffic or tight coverage, especially when his own offensive game is not working. However, in terms of pure talent, he is an exceptionally talented distributor of the basketball.  

Andre Iguodala: Iguodala is one of the best point-forwards in the NBA and accordingly, possesses exceptional passing ability. He has the vision to see the play develop and find the open man, the passing ability and touch to make just about every pass in the game and the basketball IQ to know which pass to make in a given situation. He doesn't have the natural passing ability of Turner, but he has more than compensated for that by devoting considerable time and energy to improving his basketball IQ, court vision, and passing technique. 

Advantage: Draw. Turner gets the slight nod here on talent, but Iguodala gets the nod on work ethic. 

Shooting Ability

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Evan Turner: Turner has a good natural scoring touch, but his shooting mechanics need considerable work before he's able to consistently rely on that part of his game. 

Andre Iguodala: The "Other AI" is not the world's best shooter, but he does have a much better shooting technique than Turner. Iguodala does not quite have the natural shooting touch that Turner possesses, but more than compensates through good form and lots of practice.

Advantage: Andre Iguodala

Ball Handling

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Evan Turner: Turner's ability to handle the ball is among his most valuable assets. Despite his size, he has the ball-handling ability of a point guard and is able to use his exceptional crossover moves to get into the lane and create offense for himself and others. 

Andre Iguodala: Iguodala has always been known as a good, but never great, ball handler. He tends to rely more on his athleticism and strength, rather than his handle, to get into the paint. He has developed a solid crossover move, but does not possess the natural dribbling ability that Turner does. 

Advantage: Evan Turner

Defense

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Evan Turner: Turner is a solid positional defender who uses his size and athletic ability well. He has the ability to match up against opponents' top scoring threats, but lacks the refined defensive game and veteran savvy to be considered a shutdown defender. He has the athletic ability to stay with most players, but struggles to contain exceptionally gifted athletes and bigger, stronger forwards.  

Andre Iguodala: Andre Iguodala is one of the best one-on-one defenders in the NBA. He has the speed and quickness to stay with just about anyone in the NBA, along with good size and excellent strength. He is able to consistently stick with and frustrate an opponent's top scorer. 

Advantage: Andre Iguodala

Leadership/Clutch Play

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Evan Turner: From watching his play in college, Turner seems to relish the spotlight and displays an uncanny ability to perform under pressure. He is comfortable taking the last shot and wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line. On the court, he sticks up for his teammates and acts as a leader at both ends of the court. Off the court, he can be seen encouraging teammates, cheering and supporting his team regardless of the score.  

Andre Iguodala: Despite all of his natural talent and athletic ability, Iguodala seems to struggle in crunch time. He has a tendency to become a passive player when the game is in its most critical moments, often passing the ball to teammates despite drawing a favorable defensive matchup. He shows flashes of on-court leadership ability, especially when things are going well for him personally. However, he does not have the enthusiasm or the willingness to be "the guy" that Turner does.

Advantage: Evan Turner 

The Final Tally

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A Quick Recap:

Athletic Ability: Andre Iguodala

Passing Ability: Draw

Shooting Ability: Andre Iguodala

Ball Handling: Evan Turner 

Defense: Andre Iguodala

Leadership: Evan Turner

And the winner is....Andre Iguodala by a score of 3-2.

It's clear that both Turner and Iguodala are very talented basketball players and both have a considerable future left in the NBA. With the departure of A.I. likely on the horizon, Sixers fans everywhere should be glad the team has a player as naturally gifted as Turner ready to step in and contribute.