Washington Wizards—Philadelphia 76ers: The John Wall/Evan Turner Matchup

The long-awaited debate is about to occur: the speed demon John Wall versus the fundamentally gifted Evan Turner.

Evan Turner won the National Player of the Year award last college season, and he didn't receive it without debate. John Wall was breathing down his neck the whole season on being the best player in college basketball.

John Wall was, and still is, a highlight machine. Evan Turner was a scorer, rebounder and playmaker for his team even with his basic style of play, but struggled a bit in the beginning of his NBA career.  

This comparison should be fun to watch, even though one starts and the other doesn't, but I wouldn't be surprised if Doug Collins started Turner just for this game.

Hopefully this game will answer some questions people had during the NBA Draft...

Who Has the Advantage?

Obviously, John Wall of the Washington Wizards has a greater advantage than Evan Turner because of the fact that he is the starting PG and most likely will play 35 minutes or more.  

Evan Turner's overall team, the Sixers, might be better than the Wizards in terms of who will play—don't forget, Gilbert Arenas is a game-time decision and Josh Howard is out till November.

Being the home-opener for the Wizards, Evan Turner should expect heckling fans constantly picking on him for not being picked first.

Turner may have a small advantage from a mental standpoint because there is less pressure coming off the bench and not really having as much to prove to fans as John Wall does.

The possibility of the two even guarding each other is very slim, but I'm pretty sure that it would be a back and forth type of matchup.  That is if they go one-on-one.

Who Will Score The Most?

Scoring really isn't everything, and as a rookie, having your mind focused on just scoring 24/7 can help your team, but can also hurt them.  Still, points are probably the most effective way to show how much you've contributed to your team's production.

You can argue and say that Evan Turner can score easier than Wall because of his versatility and size, but he has yet to prove that in the NBA...actually, he hasn't proven it in the summer league, preseason or regular season.  

Wall isn't really a "scoring" PG, but as proven through high school, college and the Atlanta Hawks; he can score almost at will.  As far as we know.

No one really knows which Evan Turner we will get.  Will we get the Turner that comes out dropping 16 like he did on the Heat or the Turner who had no points in the game versus the Hawks?

Consistency is the key for Evan Turner to give John Wall a run for his money.

For now...I will give John Wall the edge.

Which Team Will Win?

The question that only the players themselves would care about, whether their respective teams will pull out a victory or not.  The game can be totally altered with a return of Gilbert Arenas after a right ankle sprain to reunite with John Wall.  For now, it doesn't look like that will happen, giving the Sixers an edge.

Both of these teams are seeking their first win of the season, so it's very costly for both organizations.  The Wizards also have another player that may hold them back, but unlikely will...that is the No. 1 overall pick John Wall, who also sprained his ankle during the Hawks vs. Wizards game where he scored 28 points and gave nine assists. (John Wall is likely to play.)

On paper, the Sixers look like the team that should win, but don't be surprised if the Wizards come out with fire to get a win.

Who Will Have a Better All-Around Game?

More than likely, John Wall will have a more productive game in terms of doing everything he possibly can to help the Wizards win the game, which I'm not saying the Wizards will do.

Doug Collins sums up the matchup the best:

"I don’t want it to be a pissing contest where all of a sudden you’re going back at each other," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "And they probably wont be guarding each other like that. It’s always going to be, well, we played New Jersey, ‘How did Derrick Favors do and how did Evan do?’ That’s human nature. The media focuses in on those guys when they’re playing and who’s doing well at a particular time. I told Evan, ‘Just play.'"

He himself is basically admitting to the fact that John Wall and Evan Turner may not have an "official" matchup, but it is the media that gives the game the hype by pointing out players and comparing them although they may not have been near each other on the court.

Rookie Ladder

This is my top 10 rookie rankings based on their opening week performance:

1. Blake Griffin

2. John Wall

3. Demarcus Cousins

4. Derrick Favors

5. Evan Turner

6. Wesley Johnson

7. Landry Fields

8. James Anderson

9. Paul George

10. Gordon Hayward