The careers of John Wall and Evan Turner, the respective #1 and #2 picks
in the 2010 draft have made for some interesting contrast. Out of the
gate, Wall was the far more accomplished player, averaging 16 and 8 and
making first-team All Rookie as Turner struggled badly to contribute in
his rookie season. The next year, Wall either regressed a little or
failed to show the evolution most projected for him, while playing on
one of the league's worst teams, and Turner improved steadily on a
playoff-bound squad. These days, most would still take Wall over ET, but
the gap between the players has narrowed considerably—in a recent ESPN
ranking of the best players under 25, Wall finished #26, while Turner finished just two spots lower at #28.
The
two players aren't even compared all that much anymore, but when they
face off—as they will tonight, for the first of four times this
season—it still makes for some minorly interesting drama. Wall, out for
the first two months of the season with knee issues, has helped gear the
Wizards back to respectability since his return, the team winning five
straight at home and emerging from the East's cellar as Wall posts the
best PER of his career, while after a seemingly interminable shooting
funk, Evan Turner has come back to score 20+ in three straight games for
the first time in his career. A home game against the Wizards is
usually cause for celebration, but this one might be tighter than you'd
think.
7:00 tip from the WFC. It's a long ride up the
anti-gravity treadmill for the Sixers to march back to .500, but
securing this winnable game after Monday night's Memphis heartbreak
would be a nice start.
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