Jacob Evans struggled in his rookie year. With a switch to point guard looming could 2019-20 be a breakout year for the Golden State Warriors forward.
The Golden State Warriors had high hopes for Jacob Evans when they selected him 28th overall in 2018. The Warriors had genuine belief that Evans could be an immediate contributor.
Although that didn’t pan out in 2018-19, could that mean Evans is set for a breakout year in 2019-20?
Following the 2018 NBA draft, Evans was seen as a player that could bolster the Warriors options on the wing, a position which proved to cause many problems without Andre Iguodala.
But more importantly, the former Cincinnati alum was viewed as a competent three-point shooter and a guard capable of defending multiple positions.
However, that failed to be the case in his rookie season as Evans featured in a mere 30 regular season games, looking uncomfortable and overwhelmed while shooting 34% and averaging a sole point.
Although the rookie struggled with a hand injury for several months, it still couldn’t prevent Evans from being labeled a “bust”.
In search of regular minutes, the former Cincinnati alum spent the majority of 2018/19 with the Warriors G-League affiliate the Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 11.2 points in 21 games.
Although Evans’ rookie season was seen as a disappointment, glimpses of the former Bearcat’s progression became clear in the G-League. A 24 point and a five assist haul against Stockton Kings and two 18 point outings against the Salt Lake City Stars and Memphis Hustle were arguably the biggest signs of Evans’ growth.
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More significantly, those within the Warriors organization had genuine belief that with a little more polish to his skillset Evans could become a valuable addition to the second unit.
In an attempt to unlock Evans’ true potential the Warriors have opted to make a move Evans to point guard in order to see the best of the former Cincinnati guard.
Despite not seeing much time on the court in 2018-19, Evans has impressed many in the Warriors organization. Assistant General Manager Larry Harris was optimistic when discussing Evans’ switch to point guard In an interview on 95.7 FM’s “The Damon Bruce Show,”
"“This summer’s big for him,” Harris said. “We’re going to play him exclusively at point guard the entire Summer League, both in Sacramento and in Vegas. We think that’s going to be his natural position moving forward.”“We think that Jacob’s skill level is really two things: He’s got a high basketball IQ and he can defend. He’s a willing passer, so for us (we want to) get a chance to see if he could be that third point guard for us coming off the bench and go from there.”"
The decision to switch Evans to point guard could be a decision that is vindicated very quickly, as the Warriors face uncertainty in that position outside of Steph Curry. With Shaun Livingston mulling retirement and Quinn Cook set to enter free agency, depth is scarce and Head Coach Steve Kerr could opt to promote Evans as Curry’s main backup instead of signing an external option.
Despite the first-year struggles Coach Kerr told San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau that he sees similarities between Evans and key rotational big Kevon Looney when the former UCLA Bruin first entered the league.
"“He’s still young,” Kerr said. “People forget that our guys rarely play as rookies. Look at someone like Kevon (Looney) — he was a non-factor his first couple years, and now he’s a key piece for us.”"
This upcoming season is Evans time to shine or else the NBA could be a long and cold road.