Jawun Evans Drafted in Second Round by Los Angeles Clippers

Jawun Evans was drafted with the 9th pick of the second round and 39th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. Evans averaged 19 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals a game as a sophomore for the Pokes and was named an honorable mention AP All-American.

The Philadelphia 76ers actually made the pick, but Los Angeles traded for it.

Sources: Clippers are trading for Philadelphia's No. 39 selection and taking Juwan Evans.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2017

There was a ton of speculation about where Evans would end up, but most outlets had Evans at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second. There were a record 16 (!) college freshmen taken in Round 1, and Evans slid slightly as the Draft went super young.

Jawun Evans gets drafted with the 39th pick in the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/O1OhedSnYv

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguy) June 23, 2017

What's the first thing you do after hearing your name called at the @NBADraft? If you're @j3vans1_ you hug your mama! #2017NBADraft #okstate pic.twitter.com/aaZQlFrDAi

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) June 23, 2017

The Evans-Chris Paul comps have been made ever since Doug Gottlieb started them a year ago, and now they’re practice sparring partners in Los Angeles (which is pretty cool). The Clips do not have another point guard locked up under contract for next year so you have to think Evans will at least get a shot at the gig.

Evans is the 13th player drafted from Oklahoma State since Eddie Sutton took over the program in the early 1990s and the first since Marcus Smart and Markel Brown in 2014.

The Clips also bought in and drafted South Carolina stud (and former Mike Boynton recruit) Sindarius Thornwell.

My take: As Blake pointed out, Jerry West just joined the Clips as a consultant so to be one of only two players Jerry West drafted is a nice look for Evans. Furthermore, the Clips had to buy their way into the draft for a reported $2 million since they didn’t have a pick.

If jerry west played a role in this pick Evans should be thrilled about his future.

— Blake. (@CoachHuddleston) June 23, 2017

I like but don’t love this for Jawun. I like it because, well, sitting behind Chris Paul would rock, and based on a variety of factors it seems like Evans will get a legit chance to make the team. There’s a lot of talk about Paul going elsewhere, but for reasons I don’t totally understand he can re-sign with the Clippers for over $200 million and can’t with another team which, uh, seems like a pretty straightforward decision.

Anyway, the downside is that getting picked with the 39th pick isn’t usually a harbinger of future success in the NBA. I know we all love Jawun — and maybe nobody more than me — but there’s a difference between tearing up the Big 12 and tearing up the Western Conference as a mid-second round pick.

To drive this home, the last five players taken in the No. 39 slot in the NBA Draft are David Michineau, Juan Pablo Vaulet, Jerami Grant, Jeff Withey and Khris Middleton. Middleton is great and the other four are ?.

Second-round steals still on the board: Jawun Evans, Alec Peters, Cam Oliver. Prediction: All three will have 10-year NBA careers.

— Reid Forgrave (@ReidForgrave) June 23, 2017

Also, the Clippers aren’t exactly a bastion of stability when it comes to developing young players. I think Spurs, Celtics, Thunder, Warriors and Rockets when I think of teams that are good at development. I don’t think Clippers. I don’t think anyone else does either. So learning from CP is tremendous, but not if that’s all the learning you get.

Of note! The Clippers’ picks since 2011 are Brice Johnson, Cheick Diallo, C.J. Wilcox, Reggie Bullock, Furkan Aldemir, Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie. Woof!

I do hope Jawun has a 10-year career in the NBA. He could. I’ve never seen a college player so adept at the pick and roll, and now he gets to learn more nuances from an all-timer. Going from slinging sideways passes to Mitch Solomon to feeding DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin is going to be like going from driving a horse and buggy to flying one of Elon Musk’s metal machines to Mars.

There’s a lot of upside for both the Clips and for Jawun, and his summer progress will be fascinating. So will L.A.’s free agency moves. They had Raymond Felton on their depth chart last year, but he’s a free agent. Do they grab another vet to backup CP or ride with Evans? There will be a lot to sort through over the next few months before the NBA starts back up this fall, but for now this seems like as good a place as any for Evans to start his professional journey.