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2017 NBA Mock Draft: New York Knicks and the value of the point guard

By Maxwell Ogden

Mar 7, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) controls the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) controls the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 28, 2017; Ames, IA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) plays defense against the Iowa State Cyclones at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones beat the Cowboys 86 to 83. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2017; Ames, IA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) plays defense against the Iowa State Cyclones at James H. Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones beat the Cowboys 86 to 83. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports /

20. Portland Trail Blazers: Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Position: Point Guard
Age: 20 (7/26/1996)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 5’11.5″, 185 pounds, 6’5.5″
2016-17 Slash Line: .438/.379/.812
2016-17 Season Averages: 29.2 MPG, 19.2 PPG, 6.4 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 1.1 3PM

Not including a potential trade, the Portland Trail Blazers have two options at No. 20 overall: Jawun Evans of the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Derrick White of the Colorado Buffaloes. Both are projected point guards who could provide a necessary measure of depth behind Damian Lillard.

As the Trail Blazers weigh their options, it’s Evans’ appeal as a facilitator that opens up the door for him to become the ideal backup to the scoring-minded Lillard.

Evans has no trouble putting points on the board, and his versatile scoring arsenal would likely be put to use by head coach Terry Stotts. There’s an absence of a true distributor in Portland, however, and Evans has high-level court vision that would be his primary strength in this scenario.

In addition to ranking No. 9 in the country with 6.4 assists in 29.3 minutes per game, Evans amassed an efficient assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.23 and saw his numbers translate to 8.7 assists per 40 minutes.

Evans is far from a lockdown defender, but it’s worth noting that he averaged 2.4 steals per 40 minutes as a sophomore and 1.6 steals per 40 minutes as a freshman. For perspective: Portland ranked No. 25 in the NBA in steals and No. 26 in points via turnovers per game.

The Trail Blazers were also No. 23 in assists per game, which elevates the value that Evans would have as a backup point guard to borderline vital heights.

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