Jawun Evans Had More to Gain By Going Pro Than Staying at OSU

It’s official. Jawun Evans’ collegiate career is over. The All-Big 12 point guard will try his luck in the NBA Draft this June. And the question is not if, but when Evans will be drafted.

Any thought that Evans would return to stay for his third year (and third coach) was probably just wishful thinking on our part.  Aside from making OSU better next year, does he really help his draft stock by returning for his junior year?

DraftExpress released a thorough profile of Evans on Monday, and here are some of the points of note.

• Right at 6 feet, Evans doesn’t have the size to make NBA execs fall head-over-heels in love with him from an upside perspective. But he “plays bigger” using his strength and his 6-4 wingspan.

• His game is suited for the next level with his effectiveness in the pick and roll.

• He needs to work on his 3-point shooting and finishing at the rim. He was fourth-worst among the site’s top 100 players profiled in 2-point field goal percentage (45.3).

• Evans shines as a playmaker compared to his counterparts.

Evans is more than just a scoring point guard as he recorded 8.8 assists per 40 minutes, tops among NCAA players in our top 100. He can make all the right passes on the move to get his teammates involved and has a good feel for the game to decide when to pass and when to look for his own offense. Due to his size, Evans can get into trouble in traffic which can lead to turnovers. Evans is poised on the ball but will need to learn to play smarter against NBA defenders to limit his turnovers. [DraftExpress]

NBA.com’s David Aldridge lists Evans as the No. 7 point guards on his Big Board, behind fellow Big 12 floor general Monte Morris (No. 6) and ahead of Kansas’ Frank Mason III (No. 9), this year’s Wooden Award winner. Aldridge sees Evans as a late first-round to early second-round pick this summer. He pegs Mason as a second round pick.

This goes back to the question of increasing his draft stock by returning to OSU. Is he going to win a Wooden Award in the next two years at OSU? Maybe. I think Evans has a higher ceiling thank Mason. But is that going to skyrocket him into the lottery? Probably not.

According to NBA.com, Evans, is No. 29 in their Top 30 Draft Board,

He should not be overlooked in a class with many other point guards rated higher and was not lost in Oklahoma State’s bad start to conference play as part of a 20-13 season. Evans has the speed to compensate for any concerns, handles the ball well, and would be coming out with two years of experience at a major program against tough competition. Teams could see a backup point guard of the future available late in the first round. NBA.com

The general consensus is that Evans can overcome his non-elite level size and athleticism by improving his shooting and continuing to improve at scoring over and around the length he will see at the next level. He could flourish as a quality backup point guard if he can do those things.

Evans has a chance to improve on his stock with an impressive showing at the draft combine next month. Again, he’s probably not going to wow anyone with his tangibles. Aside from a crazy vertical that we aren’t expecting, he’s probably just be checking a box.

His size is not an automatic disqualifier for stardom. We can look to the likes of Chris Paul, a common comparison around these parts, and Isaiah Thomas who at 5-9 is setting the Eastern Conference on fire in Boston.

Evans has a few things going for him. His intelligence and tenacity on defense makes up for some of what he loses in size and quickness. And his basketball IQ and scoring ability should make him desirable to any team looking for a good backup point guard.