# Turner's Summer League Struggles



## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

> Evan Turner didn't have a good summer league in Orlando.
> 
> But coach Doug Collins has a reason why.
> 
> ...


David Thorpe: 


> "Turner was, at best, a poor player in Orlando compared to any reasonable expectation -- not locked in, bad body language and poor skills. But don't get too alarmed. It's a testament to his talent that he still made plays on the glass and had some good offensive moments. I suspect that while almost every other player spent three to eight weeks before July working on their games and working out for teams, Turner did little on-court stuff. No doubt he'll look better in preseason and beyond."


*Link*

I didn't watch the summer league, so yeah, what was up with him?


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

I'm not too worried about his performance. There were much more heralded players who struggled in summer league. It's just a different and much more sloppier game. It's closer to prison ball than what we'll see in the league.

What I do love about it is that where others have made excuses for his play (like in this article) Turner isn't and he wants to improve. So I'm looking forward to seeing how he looks in training camp.


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## 76ersFan11 (Jul 6, 2010)

Guys like Collins and Thorpe are making excuses, but the hard truth to accept is that Evan Turner's not ready for NBA basketball. To me there are alot of qualities in a 2-guard or a wing man, A wing man is a great shooter or slasher or both. Evan Turner didn't shoot the ball well, or at all. His handles were shaky, he couldn't match up well with the speed of the NBA summer league(How many times did we see Turner slip over himself). And even though Turner "attacked" the bucket, how many times did he actually finish a play?

Turner looks VERY RAW by any definition of what you expect of a wing player, and very far from Brandon Roy, an oft-comparison. Roy has great handles, great slashing skills and a great mid-range jumper. 

Meeks looked more like our starter at 2 guard, baring a significant development in Turner's attitude and play over these next few months. Holiday didn't put up "flashy" stats last year in the summer league, but he showed that he could play NBA ready basketball for his position.

Turner on the other hand, failed miserably at any phase of this game worth considering. I hope Collins brings him up very slowly.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

You can't read too much into summer league. Michael Beasley looked much better than Derrick Rose in summer league and we know how that turned out. Now, I'm not saying Turner is going to be like Rose but he's much better than what we saw in summer league.

He'll be fine and he'll be starting on opening night.


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## 76ersFan11 (Jul 6, 2010)

You can't read too much into summer league as far as competition is concerned, but Turner's mishaps and mislapses were mostly due to himself, he was a walking turnover out there. No doubt he got skills that can translate to the game, but from what we saw right now, he's not the same Turner out of Ohio State. To me, Meeks was a vastly superior player. He's been on fire since April of last year. I like that he can shoot, he has good size for the position(6'4), he has good handles and can play some defense.

You can't read too much into summer league as far as competition is concerned. As far as performances, that was thrown out the window by John Wall(24/8, though he averaged 7 turnovers). I don't doubt Turner can be a good or even a great player in the league. I heavily doubt however, that it'll be within the first 3 months of the season.

He lacks too many fundamentals to say that he'll get it all by training camp.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

No one is asking Turner to be great in the first three months. It's rare to ask any rookie to be great that soon.

What I'm saying is he doesn't lack fundamentals, and he has skills that he can use. It's just that summer league isn't the best place for that to shine. You can't read too much from summer league. Some guys look better than they are in NBA play, some guys look worse, and some guys look the same.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

I'm not even paying attention to Summer League play anymore. It has absolutely nothing to do with actual NBA games.


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