Stephen A. Smith: Second thoughts on 76ers' draft pick

The 76ers have a reason to be happy for a change. Well, at least their fans do. The team has the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. That means a bona fide player will actually invade the Wachovia Center next season. But those who think that player is Ohio State's Evan Turner, the national collegiate player of the year, should ponder one considerable roadblock:

We're talking about the Sixers here.

In a perfect world it would be nice if amnesia kicked in and fogged our memories to the reality that the Sixers could not pass, shoot, or play efficient basketball through most of the 2009-10 season. Goodness knows we've all tried to forget over the last couple of months. But Tuesday night's draft lottery, while significant and rewarding because Philadelphia got a much higher pick than anticipated, also triggered our memories of this organization, and the problem it now faces.

Had the Sixers lucked out and captured the No. 1 pick, all of their problems would have been solved.

Kentucky's John Wall would have been the pick. His electrifying play would have galvanized this city. It would have been Allen Iverson Part II. The Sixers' box office would have received some calls for a change.

The No. 2 pick, however, is a little trickier. "Especially if it's Evan Turner," said former Sixer Jim Jackson, an Ohio State and NBA star and now an analyst for the Big Ten Network. "If you look at Turner's growth from where he started as a freshman to how he's evolved now, it's been great. His versatility is his asset. There ain't too many guys who can do all the things he can do."

But . . .

"His size, his work ethic, his knowledge of the game are all his strengths," Jackson continued. "He's a lot like Joe Johnson in that all those things can make him an all-star, because he just knows how to play. But [Turner] is not seen as a tremendous athlete, and a lot of his success came from him having the ball in his hands. So what it really may come down to with him is what system he's playing in, and whether that system works for him."

Did anyone get that?

Turner didn't lead the Buckeyes last season in every statistical category that matters - points (20.4), rebounds (9.2), and assists (6.0) - because he's some high-wire act comparable to Scottie Pippen or, more accurately, a silky-smooth guard like Brandon Roy. Turner excelled because the ball was in his hands, because coach Thad Matta put him at point guard. If he didn't have to run off screens to get the ball at Ohio State, what makes anyone think he'll be interested in doing so for Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday? Or, worse, Lou Williams, who may never want to pass him the ball?

"That's a pretty darn good question," said one team executive with a lottery pick Tuesday. "It's definitely one I'd be asking myself if I were the Sixers."

Scouts would not disagree.

Three of them gave analyses of what they thought of Turner's game, and the reports were practically identical.

They were impressed with Turner's averaging 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists against Big Ten competition last season, especially after he missed six games and overcame two fractured bones in his lower back. But the two triple-doubles he recorded meant little to the scouts because they were against Alcorn State and Lipscomb.

The scouts focused on Turner's impressive midrange shooting. His good hands. His craftiness and his basketball IQ. The problem is NBA teams also focused on his lack of speed and athleticism, along with questions about his long-range shooting. His struggling defense struggles because of suspect lateral movement is also a minus, particularly for someone considered an NBA 2-guard.

"Ask anyone and they'll tell you Turner is the No. 2 pick," one scout for a lottery team told me. "All-around, he's the second-best player in the draft. But Wesley Johnson is a better athlete, defender, and shooter. He actually might be a better pick if it were not for questions about his man-to-man defense, since Syracuse plays that matchup 2-3 zone all the time.

"Derrick Favors could be a star power forward in this league. And you don't teach the agility and size DeMarcus Cousins has on him, although there are questions about his discipline for playing hard all 82 games. The Sixers are in a very interesting position."

I guess progress has to come in some form.