Thunder will draft Tyreke Evans

[Arkboysooner]

I think they grab Harden if he is still available. The Thunder are pretty committed to Westbrook as their PG and Harden would be a good compliment for the future. Harden is an underrated defender and the Thunder want to make sure they have a someone who is big and can play defense at the SG position.

 

[thebigabd]

Gerald Henderson is a better pick than Evans or Harden, in my opinion.

 

[campbest]

If the Thunder pick Evans, I will lose all respect for Presti.

 

[bocabull]

If the Thunder pick Evans, I will lose all respect for Presti.

Gee I'm sure he will notice.

 

[SoonerKA]

If they don't get the lucky ping pong ball to grab Blake Presti will draft Evans if he is still on the board.

Evans is the 2nd best player in the draft behind Blake. He can take people off the dribble at will which is what the NBA is all about. He would seriously ABUSE Ricky Rubio at both ends of the floor.

Guy is a 6'6" freak with the prototypical NBA build.

I 100% agree with this, I would have considered taking him over Blake until the North Carolina game. When Blake made it a no brainer on who should go first. Evans is D. Wade.

 

[Smash Williams]

I 100% agree with this, I would have considered taking him over Blake until the North Carolina game. When Blake made it a no brainer on who should go first. Evans is D. Wade.

If Blake > Evans, and if Evans = D. Wade, then Blake > D. Wade by the transitive property of inequalities. Therefore, something is wrong with this argument (hint: Evans does not equal D. Wade).

 

[DSMok1]

If Blake > Evans, and if Evans = D. Wade, then Blake > D. Wade by the transitive property of inequalities. Therefore, something is wrong with this argument (hint: Evans does not equal D. Wade).

Let's see... Evans vs. D-Wade (and we'll look at D-Wade's first year at Marquette):

	Wade	Evans
Year	2002/03	2008/09
League	NCAA	NCAA
Team	MarquettMemphis
GP	38	37
Min	32.2	29
Pts	27.1	22.9
FG	9.6	8.3
FGA	19.3	18.3
FG%	49.9	45.5
2Pt	9.1	7.1
2PtA	17.6	13.8
2P%	51.5	51.4
3Pt	0.6	1.2
3PtA	1.7	4.5
3P%	33.3	27.4
FTM	7.2	5
FTA	9.2	7
FT%	78.1	71.1
Off	2.2	1.7
Def	5.7	5.5
TOT	8	7.2
Asts	5.8	5.2
Stls	2.6	2.8
Blks	1.7	1
TOs	4.1	4.8
PFs	2.9	3.2
		
PER	31.4	25.7
WS/40	11.2	8
% Tm Pos25.1	24.7
Pts/Pos	1.06	1
FGA/Pos	0.85	0.8
FTA/Pos	0.29	0.31
Ast/Pos	0.2	0.23
TO/Pos	0.18	0.21
		
TS%	0.54	0.53
eFG%	0.51	0.49
A/TO	1.15	1.08
PPR	-2.5	-3.6

The ONLY category out of ALL of those that Evans was better in was Stls, and only by 0.2 per 40 minutes pace-adjusted.

Wade by a landslide. And we all remember how much better he was the next year, when he lead Marquette to the Final 4.

 

[sooner8986]

No way.

Won't happen.

Not gonna occur.

 

[OUMcP]

I think the better comparison is Evans and Kobe. I think that Evans is more of a very poor mans Kobe. 6'6 athletic players who are best with the ball in their hands. Of course Evans doesnt have Kobe's range and will never have Kobe's clutchness. But what kind of shooter was Kobe at 19? I mean Kobe wasnt a top pick, I think he was drafted #7. Once again Evans is no where near the player Kobe is and likely will never be close, but once Evans is playing B-ball full time in the NBA he will develope a jump shot with some range, at that point they will have similar style games.

 

[stomoney]

I don't think OKC takes Evans. Not a great fit. Evans is a nice player, but I see far more John Salmons than D. Wade.

 

[bocabull]

Let's see... Evans vs. D-Wade (and we'll look at D-Wade's first year at Marquette):

	Wade	Evans
Year	2002/03	2008/09
League	NCAA	NCAA
Team	MarquettMemphis
GP	38	37
Min	32.2	29
Pts	27.1	22.9
FG	9.6	8.3
FGA	19.3	18.3
FG%	49.9	45.5
2Pt	9.1	7.1
2PtA	17.6	13.8
2P%	51.5	51.4
3Pt	0.6	1.2
3PtA	1.7	4.5
3P%	33.3	27.4
FTM	7.2	5
FTA	9.2	7
FT%	78.1	71.1
Off	2.2	1.7
Def	5.7	5.5
TOT	8	7.2
Asts	5.8	5.2
Stls	2.6	2.8
Blks	1.7	1
TOs	4.1	4.8
PFs	2.9	3.2
		
PER	31.4	25.7
WS/40	11.2	8
% Tm Pos25.1	24.7
Pts/Pos	1.06	1
FGA/Pos	0.85	0.8
FTA/Pos	0.29	0.31
Ast/Pos	0.2	0.23
TO/Pos	0.18	0.21
		
TS%	0.54	0.53
eFG%	0.51	0.49
A/TO	1.15	1.08
PPR	-2.5	-3.6

The ONLY category out of ALL of those that Evans was better in was Stls, and only by 0.2 per 40 minutes pace-adjusted.

Wade by a landslide. And we all remember how much better he was the next year, when he lead Marquette to the Final 4.

You are comparing Wades junior year with Evans freshman year and your numbers are all wrong.

Other than that great analysis!!!!!

In Wade's freshman year at Marquette he did not play because of academic problems.[9] When Wade became eligible his sophomore year (2001–2002) he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game and also contributed averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.[10] Marquette finished with a 26–7 record,[6] the school's best record since the 1993–94 season.[6] In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg,

 

[stomoney]

Regardless, he's not D.Wade. Isn't that explosive. He's very good at getting to the rim, but doesn't rely on explosiveness. Hence, my comparison to Salmons -- a player who is good at getting himself in the lane for looks, not a great jump shooter, good scorer, can play the 1 in a pinch, but is a 2 guard who looks to get his.

 

[DSMok1]

You are comparing Wades junior year with Evans freshman year and your numbers are all wrong.

Other than that great analysis!!!!!

In Wade's freshman year at Marquette he did not play because of academic problems.[9] When Wade became eligible his sophomore year (2001–2002) he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game and also contributed averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.[10] Marquette finished with a 26–7 record,[6] the school's best record since the 1993–94 season.[6] In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg,

The numbers shown are from D-Wade's first year playing, his sophomore year. In order to make the comparison more accurate, the numbers shown are per 40 minutes, pace adjusted.

 

[Smash Williams]

DSMok1 was comparing a 19-year-old Dwyane Wade to a 19-year-old Tyreke Evans (Evans is a year old for his class).

 

[bocabull]

The numbers shown are from D-Wade's first year playing, his sophomore year. In order to make the comparison more accurate, the numbers shown are per 40 minutes, pace adjusted.

02-03 was Dwayne Wades Junior year and since D-Wade was born in January 1982 you are comparing a 21 year old junior to a 19 year old true freshman. I never compared Evans to D-Wade but since the numbers are so close for a true frosh vs a seasoned junior you are helping to make the case of how good Evans will be.

 

[elmocarp]

Well, I don't understand how you can say they will take him when the Thunder are in the 4 spot headed to the lottery. So they could pick anywhere from 1st to 7th. So let's figure out what the Thunder's draft board might look like and see where Evans would fit...

The Thunder team needs are ball handling, outside shooting, interior defense and post scoring. So with those criteria lets make a top 7, that way no matter where they pick, we know at least one of them will be there.

1. Blake Griffin-most talented guy in the draft and he definitely helps their frontcourt. The no-brainer first pick.

2. Ricky Rubio-next most talented guy in the draft, he has proven he is a player in the highest level of Euro hoops and in the Olympics and against the US, competition that is miles ahead of D1 college basketball. He would be a good fit with Westbrook in the backcourt since with his length and ball handling.

3. Hasheem Thabeet-lots of differing opinion on Thabeet, but if Presti thinks he is a safe bet then he could be a terrific pick for the Thunder. He would give them the interior presence they need so desperately need and could be developed slowly behind Kristic. Then in a couple of years, if the team decides not to pay Nenad, Thabeet would be ready to go. I am personally unsure about what kind of pro he will be, but I don't think a Tyson Chandler comparison is too far off.

4. James Harden-He seems to make a lot of sense for the Thunder as well. They need a shooting guard and Harden is best as a spot up shooter and moving without the ball, which would complement Westbrook's style very well. He is a little undersized, but playing in the backcourt with RW would help that a lot (as well as with Livingston).

5. Demar Derozan-Prototypical NBA shooting guard who really started to turn things up at the end of the season. Pretty much the physical opposite of Harden as a shooting guard, long and athletic. He isn't a great shooter yet, but he can get his shot whenever he wants and has good mechanics, plus he moves very well without the ball.

6. Jordan Hill-He's gonna have a nice career as an effort giving big man. He's competent offensively, though he isn't going to ever command a double team. But his energy and rebounding will always find him getting minutes. I think I saw someone on the board compare him to having a similar impact in the league as Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah, and I think that is close, though it is probably the best case scenario.

7. This one was tough, but I think it comes down to Stephen Curry or Jrue Holliday-By the time all the testing and individual workouts happen, I expect Holliday to lock down the #2 PG spot in the draft. He really is a terrific player with great skill, size and athleticism for the position. He just never should have gone to UCLA. As far as Curry goes, he is really intriguing for the Thunder. He has the outside shooting the team needs so badly and putting him in a backcourt with Westbrook would allow him to play off the ball, which he is much more effective doing.

OK, so there are actually 8 guys that I think make more sense for the Thunder than Evans does. Regardless of whether he makes sense for the Thunder or not, I'm not sure I would have him ahead of any of those guys just based on talent anyway. And of all the guys who have a chance of going in the top ten, I would say Evans and Brandon Jennings are the two guys OKC won't even consider taking.

I know someone in this thread compared Evans to Kobe, and Chad Ford compares him to Jerry Stackhouse, but I think he is a carbon copy of another one-and-done national freshman of the year, Larry Hughes. I expect his career to pretty much mirror Hughes.

BTW...I think he would be a fantastic pick for Minnesota, even as high as third in the draft.

 

[Smash Williams]

7. This one was tough, but I think it comes down to Stephen Curry or Jrue Holliday-By the time all the testing and individual workouts happen, I expect Holliday to lock down the #2 PG spot in the draft. He really is a terrific player with great skill, size and athleticism for the position. He just never should have gone to UCLA. As far as Curry goes, he is really intriguing for the Thunder. He has the outside shooting the team needs so badly and putting him in a backcourt with Westbrook would allow him to play off the ball, which he is much more effective doing.

I like Holiday, but I don't think he's a great fit for the Thunder. Holiday is a combo guard with great size for the point and more than enough length to play the two, plays hard on both ends of the floor, is a relentless defender, but he doesn't have a reliable jumper and doesn't seem like a true PG. All in all, Holiday is a Presti guy (good size/skill ratio, plays multiple positions, good defender), but he seems almost exactly like the guy Presti drafted last year: Russell Westbrook. I love Westbrook, but I don't know if you can play him with another guard like him. With that said, I wouldn't put it past Presti, as he seems to really value long defenders. Conversely, I'm not sure that Curry is a Presti guy; he's very smart but lacks ideal size and isn't a great athlete, but he complements Westbrook very well. Also, a newspaper in Charlotte claimed that the Thunder had scouted Curry more than any other team. I wouldn't put too much stock into that, but I thought it was interesting.

 

[Cheno]

Outside of Blake I think Tyreke could be the best player in the draft. If I'm the Thunder and get the #2 pick or down I take Tyreke.

 

[stomoney]

But what if he doesn't fit? The Thunder are in a great position with cap space, draft picks, and young talent to make a push in the next few years. But fit is very important in the NBA. I don't think he fits on that team. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[bocabull]

I don't buy the "fit" philosophy in the NBA unless you are talking about role players sto.

Basketball is the ultimate game of mismatches and superior talent usually is what wins out. You take the best physical talent and the rest usually works out pretty well.