Philadelphia 76ers: What's Wrong with Evan Turner?

People were quick to judge after Evan Turner didn't make an immediate impact in his rookie season with the 76ers. He was, after all, the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Turner entered the NBA after three sensational years at Ohio State, capped off by his stellar junior year in 2009-2010. The centerpiece of a talented Buckeye squad, Turner was showered in accolades, including the 2010 National Player of the Year, the 2010 John Wooden award and the 2010 Naismith College Player of the Year.

When the Sixers surprisingly acquired the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, a consensus quickly formed around who the Sixers would select. John Wall was a lock to be picked first, and ultimately Turner looked like the safest and most well-rounded player on the board.

What the Sixers didn't seem to realize at the time was that they already had a surplus of wing players. Leaving little opportunity for a rookie, who would have to establish himself as a superior player, to garner any sort of playing time.

In his rookie season Turner averaged a mere 7.2 points per game in 23 minutes of work. While he was given a decent amount of playing time, especially for a rookie, Turner was not able to capitalize.

Turner struggled to find a consistent stroke from mid-range, and the ball-handling skills he flashed at Ohio State were all but neutralized at the professional level.

Midway through his second year in the NBA, Turner's numbers have remained stagnant. He's averaging about one point more per game (8.4) in 24 minutes of work per night. His field goal percentage has risen about a point from 42 to 43 percent, but all of that work he put in this offseason with Herb Magee hasn't made an impact thus far.

Of course everything is 20/20 in hindsight, but it's hard not to wonder if the Sixers would have been better off today if they had selected one of the versatile big men who ended up being lottery picks in the 2010 draft.

Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins or Greg Monroe could have provided the Sixers with necessary frontcourt depth, but all three of those players entered the draft with several question marks. It's easy to defend the Sixers and say that they just went with what they believed was the safest long term investment, but it appears that in Doug Collins system there's no room for another talented small forward.