While Sixers fans look toward the coming season with Nerlens Noel on the courtalong with MCW, KJ McDaniels and others, a former Sixers lottery pick has reportedly agreed to terms with an Atlantic Division Rival. Traded to the Pacers at the deadline last season, Evan Turner was the Sixers first round draft pick from 2010, selected 2nd overall. He never quite caught on with the Sixers or the NBA at all really and can be judged as a bust, never developing shooting consistency or good defense on a team that preached it.
Celtics finishing deal for FA Evan Turner, sources tell Herald. He will get a portion of their mid-level exception.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) July 21, 2014
That is right, it looks like Mr. Turner will be heading to Boston to join the Celtics after playing half a season with the Pacers. Turner put up his best season numbers-wise for the Sixers last season, averaging 17.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game before getting traded to Indiana in February.
His Pacers career wasn't too successful either. His minutes dropped from 35 to 21 a game and his production suffered even more, as he only averaged seven points per game while shooting 41% from the field, adding of course, poor defense. Turner's clashed heads with Lance Stephenson during his time with the Pacers, with the tension leading to a phsyical altercation between the two in the playoffs during practice. Both of them downplayed the event after it happened. (via USA Today Sports)
"Honestly, the person who wrote the article asked me if the fight happened, I told him 'No, it wasn't (a fight),' and he just went on and wrote that there were punches thrown and all this and it wasn't. It was just a tangle up and that was it," Turner told The Indianapolis Star while on his way to catch the team plane to Atlanta. "That was it and I don't think there's anything really to speak on in regards to being that big a deal. But the whole thing of everybody reading that punches got thrown and all this nonsense occurred, that never happened. Not one punch (was) thrown. Lance and I are pretty big guys. I think you'd see a sign of a punch thrown, ya know?"
"We're competitive players," Stephenson said. "We got (into) a little scuffle but it was just practice related. No blows, just playing hard and getting ready for the playoffs. I mean, I've got no problem with him."
While the Celtics may not be a team that will be going far any time soon, Turner has performed well against the C's in his career. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14 games against Boston. The former Sixers lottery pick will join forces with Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and first-round pick, Marcus Smart.
Evan Turner is averaging 11.1 ppg, 3.1 apg and 5.3 rpg in his career, spanning 306 games.
Brandon Apter is a writer for Sixerdelphia.com
