On Monday, Evan Turner called his agent after hearing of the potential that he may be traded, hoping it was to an East Coast team.
When he found out he was headed to the Hawks, he was excited, for a variety of reasons.
For one, he will reconnect with coach Lloyd Pierce and assistant coach Greg Foster, who were assistants for the Philadelphia 76ers when Turner was there during the 2013-14 season. On a more personal level, he’ll get to be closer to his 1-year-old daughter, Aubrey, who lives in South Carolina. That’s his No. 1 priority.
But on the basketball court, Turner will be “a multi-faceted player” for the Hawks and will be used as such. Pierce said he doesn’t look at a specific position, but Turner can be used in a variety of ways, including backup point guard, filling in at the power forward spot and being part of a small-ball lineup.
“I’ll be used to, for the most part, take pressure off people,” Turner said. “So, I comprehend, you know, whatever the plays are, who needs to get the ball. It’ll be like a blue-collar role.”
Turner said he was excited to get to work with the young core the Hawks are building. At 30, he knows he’ll be one of the older, if not the oldest, players on the team when the season comes around. But that doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t approach it with that way of thinking.
“I don’t really go into a locker room and think ‘you’re too young,’” Turner said. “I try to figure out a way to relate to people.”
He was preparing to talk to the coaches in a meeting after he finished his media obligations. But as far as his role goes, Turner said he’s open to whatever the Hawks need from him. That line of thinking matches up with Pierce’s plan.
Pierce mentioned what he loves most about Turner’s game is his ability to facilitate, in other words, pass the ball to find an open shot, layup or dunk. The way the head coach looks at the game of basketball in the NBA is more about having as many facilitators on the court as you can at one time.
While his assist totals don’t necessarily jump off the page, Turner has been consistent in that regard, averaging 3-1/2 per game during his career. During the 2014-15 season, Turner averaged 5-1/2 assists per game with Boston Celtics, the highest season average of his career.
The trade made sense for the Hawks. After drafting Cam Reddish and already having Kevin Huerter on the roster, there was a logjam. Kent Bazemore, now heading to the Portland Trail Blazers, was the odd man out. Now, Pierce said it opens up more minutes for Reddish and Huerter while also having Turner, whom he called a player who can “back up everybody” with his versatility.
But what excites him most is what he knows the Hawks will gain from Turner off the court, in the locker room and around the facility.
“We got a guy that’s going to take care of our rookies,” Pierce said. “Evan’s got personality, that I know from Philadelphia. That locker room will be live. I want that as we’re still trying to identify who we are as a team. Personality, swag, those things are key for us in this city.”
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