Opportunity knocks for Warriors’ Evans
Jacob Evans III wandered around the paint, nearly encircled by 180 kids eager to pepper him with questions during Wednesday’s Warriors basketball camp at San Mateo High.
Evans fielded a wide range of queries, from his height (6foot6), shoe size (121⁄2) and favorite food (crawfish) to his favorite player growing up (Kobe Bryant), favorite teammate (Klay Thompson) and what Stephen Curry is like (laidback).
One question the kids, ages 7 to 15, neglected to ask: Where does Evans fit on next season’s newlook Warriors?
His rookie season didn’t unfold as he had hoped, given scarce playing time and frequent assignments to the GLeague affiliate in Santa Cruz. Evans, a firstround draft choice last year out of Cincinnati, struggled with his outside shot and heard some NBA analysts label him a bust.
Now he’s moving to a familiar position — point guard, where he played in high school and AAU ball in Baton Rouge, La. — and returning to a reshaped team. The War
riors lost Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Thompson (for now, in the wake of knee surgery), among others, and are seeking contributions from young players such as Evans.
“This year, there’s going to be a lot of opportunity,” he said before meeting with the campers. “Klay is recovering from injury, and we have a lot of new guys. We’re a lot younger and a lot of roles have opened up. It’s an exciting time. …
“It’s really up to me, going out there and performing and doing what I have to do to solidify my minutes, my spot on this team.”
Evans, 22, earned precious few minutes as a rookie, partly because of the accomplished guards ahead of him and partly because he wasn’t NBAready. He played in only 30 regularseason games and averaged less than seven minutes.
Summer league brought more chances. Evans, in three games in Sacramento and four in Las Vegas, averaged 14.3 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He shot 45.7% from the field, including 35.7% on 3point attempts.
He also struggled at times with his pointguard duties, collecting nearly as many turnovers (26) as assists (28). If he wants to replace Livingston as Curry’s primary backup — a job there for the taking — Evans needs to improve his decisionmaking.
Defense also is part of the equation, as he pointed out. end. It’s going to be a good transition. I’m very excited.”
This falls in line with the word on Evans after three years at Cincinnati: a strong defender who needed to work on his shot. His inaugural season in the NBA reinforced the perception: He shot 26.7% from 3point land.
He also showed a hitch in his shot, in awkward contrast to the ohsosmooth jumpers of Curry, Thompson and Durant. Evans has since tried to eliminate the hitch and release the ball in one fluid motion.
Hall of Famer Steve Nash, a Warriors consultant, often worked with Evans on his balance and core strength. Evans said that’s a big reason his shot feels a lot smoother than it did last season.
Another reason: He watched several of the world’s best shooters work on their craft, day after dutiful day. If you’re a young player trying to improve your shooting, what better laboratory than the Warriors’ practice facility?
“You look at one basket and see Klay, another basket you see Steph, another one you see KD,” Evans said. “Dang! And all you hear is, ‘Swishswishswish.’ ”
That’s a sweet sound Evans hopes to hear more often in the year ahead — on his own shots.