Last Updated on July 26, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Games tended to slow down whenever Evan Turner had the ball, not because he lacked pace but because he saw passing angles and mismatches a beat before most defenders recognized the danger. Comfortable posting smaller guards, orchestrating from the wing, or probing until help arrived, he fashioned offense through patience and feel rather than relying on explosive athleticism.

Here’s a detailed profile of Evan Turner:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Evan Marcel Turner
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born October 27, 1988
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters)
  • Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters)
  • Shoe Size: US size 14
  • Number: Most notably wore 12 and 1
  • Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward / Point Forward
  • High School: St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, where he became a top basketball prospect.
  • College: Ohio State University (2007–2010)
    • Won the Naismith College Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award in 2010 as the nation’s top collegiate player.
  • NBA Draft: Selected 2nd overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Philadelphia 76ers (2010–2014)
    2. Indiana Pacers (2014)
    3. Boston Celtics (2014–2016)
    4. Portland Trail Blazers (2016–2019)
    5. Atlanta Hawks (2019–2020)
    6. Minnesota Timberwolves (2020, did not play due to trade and subsequent retirement)
  • Championship Rings: None in the NBA.
  • Kids: No public information about children.
  • Siblings: Turner has two older brothers, Darius and Richard Turner.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Evan Turner’s player archetype was that of a big secondary playmaking wing, a versatile guard-forward who could handle, pass, rebound, and fill gaps across multiple roles without functioning as a pure lead scorer. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he brought strong size for a perimeter player, and his defensive role was built more on physicality, positioning, and rebounding support than disruptive point-of-attack pressure or high-end shot deterrence. Offensively, Turner operated as a connector and secondary initiator, helping teams with ball-handling, half-court creation, post-ups against smaller guards, and supplementary playmaking rather than floor-spacing volume shooting. His overall play style was methodical and multi-skilled: he relied on feel, craft, pace changes, and all-around utility to impact games, giving lineups a steady wing who could move between guard and forward responsibilities. (Basketball Reference)

Scouting Report

Evan Turner always felt more comfortable manipulating a possession than speeding it up. The interesting thing is that defenders often backed off him because of the jumper, yet that extra cushion gave him exactly what he wanted: room to get into the paint, play off two feet and start dictating where everyone else had to move. He wasn’t blowing by people with a first step. He nudged defenders off balance with hesitations, changes of pace and clever use of his body, then slipped bounce passes to cutters or floated passes over the top once the low man committed. He had a knack for seeing passing lanes a fraction before they fully opened, especially when operating from the elbows or after snaking a pick-and-roll into the middle of the floor. That’s where his game was at its best. The trade-off was obvious. Defences were willing to duck under screens or help aggressively because they didn’t consistently fear the pull-up jumper or spot-up three, which compressed the floor and sometimes forced him into difficult finishes over length. Defensively he competed with size and anticipation more than lateral quickness, using long arms to bother wings and disrupt entry passes, but quicker guards could turn the corner on him if he became isolated high above the break, and switching onto explosive ball handlers wasn’t an ideal assignment. To me, Turner fit best as a secondary initiator alongside perimeter shooting, where he could function as the connective piece rather than carrying every creative responsibility. Give him movement around him and he would reward it, finding cutters after DHOs, advancing the ball quickly into early offence and keeping possessions alive without dominating them. I’ve always thought there were similarities to Shaun Livingston in the way he relied on patience, size and feel instead of burst, although Turner was the more ambitious passer, while parts of his game also echoed Boris Diaw’s ability to solve possessions through timing and angles rather than conventional shot creation.

Fun Facts

  • He was a versatile player, Turner could play multiple positions and contribute as a scorer, playmaker, and defender.
  • He was best known for his time with the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers, where he became a key bench player and secondary playmaker.
  • He helped Portland reach the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
  • After retiring, Evan Turner transitioned into coaching and broadcasting. He served as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, focusing on player development. Known for his outgoing personality and basketball IQ, Turner remains involved in the sport.

Sources:

NBADraft.net — Evan Turner
Basketball-Reference — Evan Turner Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
NBA.com — Evan Turner | Guard-Forward | Philadelphia 76ers