Evan Turner Injury: Updates on 76ers Guard's Ankle

Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner injured his ankle in the team’s preseason game against the Boston Celtics and was held out of the rest of the contest.   

Michael Preston, Philadelphia’s director of public relations, reported the following via Twitter:

"

Evan Turner suffered a left ankle sprain at the end of the 3rd qtr in Boston. He will not return to game.

— Michael Preston (@preston76) October 22, 2012"

Turner is entering his third season in the NBA after being picked second overall out of Ohio State in the 2010 draft. He has become a valuable part of the team’s rotation under head coach Doug Collins and played 26.4 minutes per game last season.

At 6’7”, Turner is a versatile player who can be effective at multiple positions and fill up a stat sheet. He averaged 9.4 points on 44.6 percent shooting while also grabbing 5.8 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists last year.

He helped the 76ers take the Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season, averaging 10.7 points and 8.6 rebounds in the series.

The team will have high expectations this year after coming so close to the conference finals and trading for Andrew Bynum in the offseason. But the deal cost them Andre Iguodala, and Turner will be one of the players expected to fill his void on both ends of the floor.

Philadelphia is a deep team with many important cogs, but Turner’s versatility and defensive contribution make him a pivotal player. The team will hope that the injury is not serious, and that the 23-year-old will be back on the court before the first regular-season game on October 31.

Check back to this page for updates on Turner’s condition going forward.