5 Things Evan Turner Must Do To Secure A Long-Term Contract

5 Things Evan Turner Needs For Long-Term Contract

With the trading of Jrue Holiday, the two talented veterans left on the Philadelphia 76ers roster are Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. Now entering his fourth year, Turner has been a bit of an enigma. Sometimes he is phenomenal and shows the reasons why he was taken number two overall. When he is playing aggressive he is confident in his shot, sets up his teammates well and is truly one of the best rebounding guards in the entire league.

The problem is that is the not the majority of the time yet. Other times you will see a guy who is completely lost on the court taking ill-advised mid-range jump shots. Because of this, Turner will almost certainly not be offered a contract extension before the October 31 deadline.

The next decision that will have to be made is if the team will extend the $8.7 million qualifying offer to Turner or if they will just let him leave for free agency at the end of the season. I think the decision will have a lot to do with his play on the court this season.

The Sixers are certainly going in a different direction with new general manager Sam Hinkie, but there is nothing set in stone that says Turner cannot be a part of that new direction. He has this year to prove that can be a solid contributor to this team or to any other team if he hits free agency.

Here are five things Evan Turner must do this year to secure a long-term contract next season.

Zach Slotter is a contributor for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @zslot6, Like his Facebook page and add him on Google.

5. Maturity

The most frustrating thing about watching Turner play is the constant sulking on the court when things don’t go his way. He is a good player, but he hasn’t been in the league long enough to get all the calls he wants. Now in his fourth year, if he goes into the lane and doesn’t get a call he needs to hustle back rather than hanging his head and leaving his teammates out to dry. This all revolves around proving he is a team player.

4. Aggressiveness

Two things that Turner does really well are rebound and pass, but his offensive game has not fully come around yet. With the departure of Holiday, Nick Young and Dorrell Wright, a major chunk of the scoring is gone from last year and it’s up to Turner to pick up the slack. There are no more excuses for settling for two dribble pull up jumpers; he needs to take the ball to the lane and get to the free throw line in order to excel.

3. Defensive Intensity

Turner has great size and strength for a guard, and he should be using that to his advantage. Defense is all about effort and desire; if Turner wanted to be a good defensive player he would be. His length will create nightmares for point guards and his weight will help him body up against guys in the post. He has the makeup to be an excellent defender, he just needs to do it.

2. Take on a Leadership Role

Turner’s patience will be tested over and over this year being one of the best players on a bad team, but he cannot have a negative attitude. He needs to prove that he can be a leader to young players and someone that will help ease the pain of making mistakes out on the court.

1. Develop a Consistent Jump Shot

Turner’s biggest knock his been his inefficient scoring throughout his career. Part of that is shot selection, but it is also that he is just not a good shooter yet (career 42.8 percent). He should be in the gym putting up 500 shots a day. If he can develop a spot up jumper, his game will improve exponentially.