Finally, we can own T-shirts featuring Evan Turner as the NBA logo
After several years of struggling to live up to his position as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft for the Philadelphia 76ers and a brief/underwhelming stint with the cratering 2013-14 Indiana Pacers, former Ohio State standout Evan Turner has begun to find himself at the NBA level as one of many versatile arrows in head coach Brad Stevens’ quiver with the Boston Celtics. He spent most of the 2014-15 campaign starting for the surprisingly playoff-bound C’s, but has come off the bench in six of his seven appearances thus far this season, averaging 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals in 25.4 minutes per game.
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“Average” is something of an operative word for Turner these days — according to the 2015-16 NBA Roster Survey, which compiles data on the opening-day rosters of all 30 teams, he’s this season’s “Mr. Average […] the guy who most closely resembles the average NBA player based on the height, weight, age and experience of all 446 players on opening-day rosters.” (The average NBA player stands a shade over 6-foot-7, weighs just under 222 pounds, is 26.88 years old and has nearly five years of NBA experience; Turner’s 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, just turned 27 and is now in his sixth pro season.)
But despite having settled somewhere closer to the middle of the pack than the top of the heap, the cheerful Turner believes he’d be a tremendous standard-bearer for the NBA, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe:
While the Celtics faced the Bucks at the Bradley Center on Tuesday, the Republican presidential primary debate was taking place across the street at the Milwaukee Theatre […] the political vibe in the city begged the question: Which Celtics player would make the best president?
All quirky questions like this one should start with Turner, who, unsurprisingly, picked himself.
“E.T. the god, man,” Turner said with a smile. “First of all, I’m the man. That’s first. Secondly, I’m just cool as hell. Who wouldn’t vote for me?”
OK, Evan, but how about a running mate?
“Probably I.T. [Isaiah Thomas]. Everybody likes short guys,” Turner said. “Maybe Kelly [Olynyk]. He’s low-key, knows a decent amount of stuff.”
But Turner clearly wasn’t satisfied with either of these choices. Then he came to a more comfortable conclusion.
“Tyler Zeller,” he said. “That’s it, because he’s even keel. I need that because I’m bringing the oomph. That’s it.”
Evidently, though, simply “bringing the oomph” wasn’t “it.” From Jay King of MassLive.com:
Because the Republican presidential debate Tuesday night was held in Milwaukee, where the Boston Celtics ran past the Bucks, basketball reporters asked all the important political questions.
For example, CSNNE’s Abby Chin probed Evan Turner on what he would do if he became the president of the NBA. First, the wing said he would cut down on the number of games in a regular season. Later, he said he would make himself the NBA logo, joking that “obviously a lot more women would get into the game.”
Turner’s goof quickly became a graphic:
… and that graphic has now become a garment:
You can cop the new heat in white, grey, black or Celtic green starting at $19.99, and frankly, you probably should. Now that Turner’s become a stalwart contributor for Stevens — Boston has outscored its opposition by 15.2 points per 100 possessions in 178 minutes with Turner on the floor this season, and has been outscored by 11 points-per-100 in 158 minutes without him through seven games, according to NBA.com’s stat tool — it’s only a matter of time before Adam Silver gives Jerry West a sympathetic look and a hearty handshake before beginning the process of turning over the league’s look to the man with the Spielberg bling.
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Granted, there’s always the chance that those early-season plus-minus numbers regress to the mean that’s seen Turner profile as mostly a net-negative player for his employers over the course of his career. If Stevens has anything to say about it, though, Turner’s going to get more opportunities to make positive contributions, according to Himmelsbach:
“Now [Turner’s] just a jack of all trades for us,” Stevens said. “He’s got to be able to do all that. He’s got to be able to play the 1, 2 or 3, and that’s part of his great value … He may play some 1, he may not, but he’s always gonna be able and ready to, and that’s a huge, huge piece of our team.”
And if he gets his way, Turner will be a huge, huge part of the NBA’s overall aesthetic. (Or, at least, a couple of bucks richer.)
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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