2010-11 Season Preview: Maurice Evans

Previously: Josh Powell, Jordan Crawford, Etan Thomas and Jason Collins, Pape Sy

Dissatisfaction with Maurice Evans essentially boils down to an aesthetic complaint and/or a refusal to acknowledge the difficult reality* of acquiring a superior player given Atlanta's lack of assets and financial flexibility. Mike Woodson seemed to distrust Evans for his disinclination to dribble and utilized him sub-optimally as a backup small forward, a position he's struggled to defend effectively (or, at least, anywhere nearly as effectively as Marvin Williams) in either of his two seasons in Atlanta.

Evans is a below-average player but a perfectly fine reserve. Assuming he recovers from his knee surgery (as is expected), expect he'll make about 37% of his three-point attempts, take most of the rest of his shots at the rim, contribute on the offensive glass, and rarely turn the ball over since he creates almost no offense for himself. He's a limited player overall. That's why he's never played more than 1840 minutes in seven NBA seasons. His specific skills, though, are useful. That's why he's played at least 1139 minutes for a winning team for each of the last six seasons.

*A problem which should also stop most of the "Let's get a true center." arguments before they start.