Evans dominated the PG's in Minny

JasonThompsonFan · Jun 19, 2009

Timberwolves Workout Response: Point Guards

by rfoye4 on Fri Jun 19, 2009 1:50 pm

Today I was at the Timberwolves practice facility to watch their private workouts for Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, and Jeff Teague.

First off, I want to openly admit that I have been a big critic on the idea of drafting Tyreke Evans at 6, for a number of reasons...after today, however, one thing became very clear to me, Tyreke Evans is going to be one Hell of a player.

Evans is HUGE. He showed an incredible combination of size/speed/athleticism/jumping ability/pure bull strength/defense/shooting ability that I have not seen from any prospect since, dare I say, this one really tall muscular guy that one a big award this past year. Again, I have been very critical of Evans, but this guy looked like a mini Lebron out there. He dominated in the one on ones, finishing at the rim time and time again after showing very impressive moves and ball handling along with his explosive athleticism. He dominated every single point guard there, jonny flynn was really the only one who stopped him once or twice, and it was more Evans just missed than him stopping him. In the 1-on-1s, the players would have to work to get open for an in-bounds pass, and then had four seconds to get a shot off...most often they received the ball between the top of the key and half court, and evans would get to the rim with ease, bull rushing, juking, spinning, whatever he wanted to do, he did. He made Jennings basically fall down a couple times, and hit 3s in the face of lawson and flynn that drew pretty big Ohhhhs from the small crowd watching on.

Evans hit a handful of 3's in the one on ones and 3-on-3 drills, Including a game winning 3 in the face of i believe Ty Lawson to end the workout. He was simply a man amongst boys today. Tyreke definitely shot better than I had imagined, that will not be an issue down the road.

Flynn was very impressive also. Very strong with the ball, by far the best ball handler there, and a very smooth jump shot. He will be a very good point guard...good guy, hard worker and just gave off a good leadership kind of vibe.

Lawson was good in the one on ones and everything, nothing really stood out though. He made a few shots but overall is was an average showing for him. Didn't seem as fast as the other guys.

Holiday shot the ball very well, seems a little underdeveloped physically, obviously, but his shot is real good. He was good in the open floor and played pretty good defense.

Jennings and Teague just blended in. Jennings is extremely fast and quick on his feet but he got beat on Defense all day and his shot is really ugly. Along with that, he was slamming the ball down, complaining about not getting fouls and letting the "F" bomb go...right in front of Kahn...great idea...

Teague shot the ball well but otherwise he was a sideshow.

Afterwards, Kahn invited the small crowd of season tix holders in to a private room to ask questions.
-He said we won 24 games, nobody is irreplaceable
-Said that they are actively looking to add picks/ trade picks
-When asked if he preferred a pure point guard or combo point guard, he said whatever fits the players around him best.
-Stated there is no truth to marc jackson rumors, no searching for coach will be done until after the draft.
-Said he did not view Pekovic as the tall, long rim defender at Center that he has been talking about, although he does really like him a lot.
-Confirmed his statements that Al would be 2nd best player on championship team and Love 4th if he reached potential.
-When asked who he liked the most from workouts so far, he said he REALLY like what he saw today...considering Tyreke Evans was a one man show out there, its safe to say he likes him a lot.
-If I remember any more of his private Q/A answers I will repost.

Overall I rate the prospects from today in this order:

1. Evans (BY FAR)
2. Flynn
3. Lawson
4. Holiday
5. Tie: Jennings and Teague

I am now completely on board with getting Evans, I cannot believe how dominant he was, the matchup problems that would arise from having him and Foye back there would be great. No point guard would be able to guard this guy especially if he is surrounded with the right talent. I am sold.

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=915383

fnordius · Jun 19, 2009

Evans has no real chance of ever playing well outside of the SG position, though. And if Geoff starts another run of picking SG after SG in the draft, I am definitely gonna scream.

Hallama · Jun 19, 2009

If you draft Evans, be ready to put the ball in his hands on offense. He's pretty useless otherwise, imo. Hopefully he can guard SGs on D.

JasonThompsonFan · Jun 19, 2009

Myself I hope if we can't get Rubio, that we draft Flynn. He is a leader and is a true PG.

SacTownKid · Jun 19, 2009

fnordius said:

Not true, in fact in college he struggled at the SG spot and then when he was moved to PG he began to really dominate.

Aenadin · Jun 19, 2009

is memphis or Okc giving evans a work out?

if we dont get rubio... im starting to warm with evans. if he plays point he has the physical tools to be a good one.. he has size...

kf4l · Jun 19, 2009

Evans is one of those guys I think the Kings would regret not drafting later on down the road. Tyreke has one of the highest ceilings in this draft. I know we got Martin but I believe Evans has more of a all around game. He can break down the defense with his killer crossovers and finish near the rim or find open teammates, something Martin has yet to show.

Kingster · Jun 19, 2009

Thanks for the info. He's the guy I've wanted. I doubt it will happen, but if you want to shoot for the moon, you go with Evans imo. Too bad that Rubio didn't work out. I have a bias against guys who don't work out. What don't they want you to see?

Aenadin · Jun 19, 2009

kf4l said:

which opens up the question... would you trade martin and 31st for okcs 3rd and collison?

that is if rubio doesnt fall at the 3rd..

i dont know bout you guys but i think the kings have the potential to swing deals that CAN nab them the 3rd and 5th respectively... but i just dont see petrie doing a pritchard move on draft night. then again i read somewhere about aggressiveness of kings on draft day.. well see. if we want a CHANGe it has to start somewhere and by that i mean our mentality during draft time.. start getting active

asakkings · Jun 19, 2009

I dont think Rubio and Evans will be a good backcourt. Both need the ball in their hand to get anything done.

fnordius · Jun 19, 2009

SacTownKid said:

He has a 1.1:1 assist/TO ratio, far behind even Beno, whose A/TO ratio is easily the worst of any starting PG in the NBA. He also has a rep for being kind of a ball hog. This does not make me feel confident that he's the pass-first floor general we're looking for.

=LarryLegend= · Jun 19, 2009

I want Johnny Flynn. If no Rubio.

swisshh · Jun 19, 2009

I have heard different reports from the Minny workouts. Or more or less, a report dealing with more than just the one on ones.

Bricklayer · Jun 19, 2009

I think breaking it down this way probably gives the clearest pciture of what happened, and of the strengths of each player. Evans IS the dominant 1 on 1 player in this PG crop. The question is do you want a 1 on 1 guy running your point? Jennings IS an amazing talent and lightning quick. But he's also sloppy mentally and a bit of a kuncklehead, will he realize the talent? Flynn and Lawson are pros, but do they have the upside? Etc. Etc.

AleksandarN · Jun 19, 2009

Bricklayer said:

The more I hear about Jennings the more he reminds me of this guy

ElRey · Jun 19, 2009

Our team is so sorely lacking in talent overall. We need to draft the best player available... then deal with it afterwards. Outside of Rubio, and Griffin, Evans is the most dynamic player in this draft, regardless of what position he ends up in. We have no one on our team that is a go-to guy. Kevin Martin cannot win games for you. with the 4th pick, I would swing for the fences. IMO We can always get that solid traditional PG that everyone here seems to crave with our 23th pick or free agency.

Peter_Gibbons · Jun 19, 2009

Rubio or Evans, either one is a good choice. If either is gone by #4, we can be happy about getting the other. They both have superstar potential. If Tyreke Evans turns out to be a star but is better suited to play the 2, we can always trade Martin. I like Martin, but we are trying to build a contender. Martin can net a good player back for us.

But if we take Evans, we need to pick a PG at #23 as a back up or trade up to the teens to get a good PG that may have slipped.

PurpleHaze · Jun 19, 2009

AleksandarN said:

Starbury, at least in the early part of his career was way more talented than Jennings - also bigger, stronger. I'd take Evans over Jennings by a mile but I really don't really want either - at #4. Jennings looks like a clone of Aaron Brooks to me, not some star PG in the making. Of course, plenty of NBA teams could use a tiny jet like Brooks as decent backup or spot starter - and he may still have that "upside" thing. My current top 5 hope list for the Kings in this draft:

Rubio
Rubio
Rubio
Flynn
Evans

Kingster · Jun 19, 2009

fnordius said:

Well, from what I saw of Memphis, they needed for him to be the ball hog. He was the guy that got it done.

Kingster · Jun 19, 2009

Bricklayer said:

Well, if you have Hawes and Thompson who can spread the floor, and you have a dominant one on one guy who can penetrate at will, it could be a pretty nice fit, don't you think? Now if we had a big oaf like Thabeet in there that would clog the middle, then I'd think differently...

MassachusettsKingsFan · Jun 19, 2009

This doesnt mean a whole lot to me really ..

Evans is going to look big and dominate against smaller point guards, my problem with him is I dont think he can really be a successful point in this league ..

Gary · Jun 19, 2009

SacTownKid said:

No, when he was moved to the "has control of the ball" position he began to dominate. He's not a PG... He will not work to get anyone but himself open. We don't need a SG playing PG..

CruzDude · Jun 19, 2009

One point that is starting to bother me about the PG issue is so many statements that the Kings need "a pure PG" to get better. Is it not true that the Kings need a "LEADER", a player who can bring the ball up and distribute and make others better by utilizing their skills? Scotty Pippen, Labron, Kobe and a host of other 2/3 position players lead their teams and start the play process. If a PG is there to do it, great. If not, there are other solutions as long as the player has great court vision, can distribute and can draw a double team.

If Kings don't get Rubio (his buyout is a very real deal-killer), it just may be that Evans or Flynn are the best solutions depending on their leadership abilities.

Question: who can help the Kings in the first year to at least double their wins? Rubio or Evans? Where would Flynn or Holiday fit in that argument?

kingsnation · Jun 19, 2009

CruzDude said:

One point that is starting to bother me about the PG issue is so many statements that the Kings need "a pure PG" to get better. Is it not true that the Kings need a "LEADER", a player who can bring the ball up and distribute and make others better by utilizing their skills? Scotty Pippen, Labron, Kobe and a host of other 2/3 position players lead their teams and start the play process. If a PG is there to do it, great. If not, there are other solutions as long as the player has great court vision, can distribute and can draw a double team.

If Kings don't get Rubio (his buyout is a very real deal-killer), it just may be that Evans or Flynn are the best solutions depending on their leadership abilities.

Question: who can help the Kings in the first year to at least double their wins? Rubio or Evans? Where would Flynn or Holiday fit in that argument?

Yes I agree we need a leader. I don't think, personally, that Evans is that guy (leader or true pg.) I think Rubio and Flynn fit both of those categories.

Kingster · Jun 19, 2009

Gary said:

But that begs the question. Do you think he "dominated" the ball because he's a selfish bastard, because it's in his DNA, because he can't pass worth a darn, because he didn't have anybody to pass to, because his coach told him to, or all or some of the above, or none of the above? If he's in the NBA, in a different system, surrounded by different players do you think he might perform differently?

steelevt · Jun 19, 2009

Peter_Gibbons said:

id be happy with either evans or flynn. i agree if we take evans, we should pick a pg at #23 as a backup. i dont really want to trade martin but feel if martin gets hurt, evans has the size to step in for awhile at sg if needed while beno or the #23 pick plays the point.

Kingster · Jun 19, 2009

CruzDude said:

Bingo. I agree with you on your analysis. I haven't seen Rubio, so I'll pass on that one, but I think Evans has more talent than Flynn. But Petrie is going to make his bucks by assessing their competitiveness, work ethic, character, leadership, all that jazz. If he graded them both out as "A" in all those categories, then it comes down to risk. Flynn has less risk, but Evans probably has more upside. So then it comes down to how much of a risk taker, or not, Petrie is. He might think Flynn has ony a 10% bust potential, but only 10% chance of being a star, whereas with Evans he might think he has a 20% chance of a bust, but a 40% chance of being a star. That's why he's probably eating a lot of Tums right now, and also why he'd really like to trade the pick!

bajaden · Jun 19, 2009

Lets assume for a moment that Rubio is either not available or, his buy out presents a problem. To me, the choice then becomes between Flynn and Evans. Can we set aside for a moment, who is a point guard and who isn't. There seems to be a mindset that its a point guard or nothing. I understand. We need a point guard. But if a potential Dwayne Wade was sitting there, would you pass on him just to get the next best point guard.

The judging critiera for Evans seems to be whether he has point guard skills or not. Well lets assume for a moment that he doesn't. Does that automaticly exclude him from being picked. What if, he's the next Michael Jordan. Or the next Kobe. Or the next LeBron. Yeah, I know, I'm going for the extreme here. But its possible he could be special. Of the three I mentioned, only LeBron was thought of as and absolute when he was picked. Everyone knew that Jordan was going to be a good player. But I don't remember anyone at the time predicting the future he had. Kobe was a raw kid with a huge upside. In many ways similar to Evans. Except that Evans doesn't speak French. At least I don't think he does. And I might add, that Kobe didn't really do much his first couple of years in the league.

I like Flynn. I have stated so. He's the safest pick. And, I wouldn't be disappointed if we choose him. But I've also stated that Evans has more star potential than anyone in the top ten other than Rubio and Griffin. If I were to rate players strictly on star potential and nothing else they would be.

1. Griffin
2. Rubio
3. Evans
4. Curry
5. Harden
6. Flynn

Why these guys? Because their all very talented, and their all very confident in their game. They all have, as said in the Rocky movies, the eye of the tiger. Will they all become stars? No probably not. But I think they have the best chance. And most of them will probably be in the running for rookie of the year. Depending on which team they go to.

So back to our problem. Flynn or Evans? Its a hard choice. It really is! My brain tells me to pick Flynn. And my gut tells me to pick Evans. And, almost every time in my life that I've gone against my gut, I've been wrong. But I'm going to think about it a little longer.........

PurpleHaze · Jun 19, 2009

I'm firmly on the Rubio bandwagon but as I indicated earlier if the choice is between Evans and Flynn (however iffy for a #4 pick) I lean ever so slightly to the Syracuse Orange 20-year-old over the Memphis Tiger 19-year-old. I agree with lots of the assessments of their respective pros and cons here but not many have mentioned maturity, ready to be a lead guard, possible character flaws. Flynn has big pluses in those areas so he sails by with winning colors but Evans is more questionable, more risky, some possible red flags coloring him - thus I like young Jonny better - again ever so slightly. But check back later - maybe my mind changes!

kingsnation · Jun 20, 2009

bajaden said:

Assuming Griffin, Rubio and Thabeet are off the board AND we don't go PG - then I'd rather have Harden than Evans.

Evans dominated the PG's in Minny

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