2010 NBA Draft: Evan Turner Showed "Moderate Improvement" in Sophomore Campaign

The 2010 NBA Draft is not only one of my personal favorite draft classes in recent memory, it was also the first NBA Draft I attended. If you're newish to the site, this whimsical article of mine detailing my first meeting with Evan Turner in an elevator should make for a fun read. It's also a hugely more optimistic side of myself that you haven't seen lately - the Draft does that to a guy!

So as lookbacks to the boys in that draft always tickle my fancy, I bring to you a runthrough of the prospects in their sophomore seasons and how their progression has gone. Evan Turner finds himself right in there at "moderate improvement", which is about where I'd peg him as well.

Turner spent all summer working on his jump shot, and it's made him a more dynamic and confident offensive player. He's been handed more responsibility and has still managed to improve his game. However, his production remains underwhelming given his draft position, and the fundamental problem of him being a point guard in a shooting guard's body remains. He'll have to figure out a way to adjust his game even more, because he'll never be able to play like he did at Ohio State.

Can't disagree more about the "point guard in a shooting guard's body" but those are misconceptions we're going to have to deal with until Turner plays for a different team. For the week that Evan Turner played like EVAN TURNER, I'd consider it breathtaking enough to call this season a minor success, though obviously it hasn't been all roses for ET outside of those few games.

For biggest improvements, I'd list Avery Bradley and Nikola Pekovic as biggest jumps. I'd agree with Derrick Favors (swoon) and Paul George (doubleswoon) with Evan in the moderate improvement genus, as well as John Wall (Clarence Weatherswoon) as having "minimal improvement". I think Ed Davis has been handled poorly by Toronto - just start the guy already - but words cannot express how disappointed I am that Wes Johnson hasn't become a solid pro.

Who's ready for the draft?