2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Jawun Evans?
The Orlando Magic are in need of a point guard somewhere. If the team is looking to add some depth, Jawun Evans showed a strong scoring ability in college.
The Michigan Wolverines were pulling away in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines, one of the hottest teams in the country heading into the Tournament, seemed like they were continuing that hot streak.
Then Jawun Evans hit.
Quickly the second half deficit evaporated with every Evans drive to the basket, trips to the foul line and attack on the basket. Evans began hitting jump shots and tearing up Michigan’s defense.
In the way that NCAA Tournament games go, momentum was fully on Evans and the Oklahoma State Cowboys’‘ side. The only question was whether there was enough time. Evans had his team on his back and nearly carried them to victory in a 92-91 defeat.
Evans’ final stat line was perhaps the best of his two-year career in Stillwater. He posted 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds, making 10 of 26 shots. Evans was the unquestioned star of the game. He simply could not get his team over the top in the end.
That was much of Evans’ season and career at Oklahoma State. He was the engine driving the Cowboys’ offense, but just unable to get the team over the top.
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He finished his stellar sophomore year averaging 19.2 points per game and 6.4 assists per game. Evans was the driver and engine for the team. He showed a quick first step to getting to the basket, averaging 6.0 free throw attempts per game.
Evans is just about everything anyone would want from a point guard. A great first step, a knack for getting to the basket and scoring. Even a 3-point shot, making 37.9 percent of his 3-pointers on 3.0 attempts per game. There are few on-court reasons not to consider Evans as part of the top point guards in this draft.
The only issue is his size. At 6-feet, 175 pounds, Evans is a bit undersized. He struggles to finish at the rim, despite his ability to get there often. That is something that is tough to overcome at the NBA level.
Just because Evans does not fit the profile of a NBA point guard does not mean he will not be successful. He has all the other skills it would seem he would require to make a NBA roster.
The proof is in the way he played and the numbers he put up last season. Late in the first round, there are few players who could get the job done quite like Evans.