The Warriors will look to finish the California Classic undefeated in their third of three games today before heading to Las Vegas
One of the questions that came up in discussing Jacob Evans’ fit after he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors was whether he’d be consistent enough from the 3-point line to become a complementary threat on offense.
Billed as a 3-and-D player entering the draft, a couple of Lakers blogs raised concerns about whether he had been tinkering with his shot mechanics after a poor shooting workout in L.A.
It was hard not to think about that when watching Evans shoot during his first game in summer league — he airballed his first shot, came up short on a number of other shots, and ended up shooting 1-for-5 from the 3-point line for the game.
Evans was asked multiple questions about his shot after the Warriors’ second summer league game on Tuesday and he made mention of something that might help explain what people are seeing: he claims the change in his shot might be due to a minor hand injury he suffered at some point.
Perhaps this is much ado about a whole lot of nothing, but the consistency of his shot is certainly something to stay tuned to — his first game could’ve just as easily been a case of jitters, as he suggested, and we might see him shake it off in his second game.
Evans showed a lot of positives
Despite the concerns about his shooting, there were a number of positives that stood out in Evans’ first game with the Warriors’ summer league squad.
One of the things that stood out, particularly in the first half, was Evans’ comfort in leading the team in transition. Not that he’ll be needed to handle the ball with the Warriors as much as he’ll be needed to shoot and defend, but it was nice to see given that he wasn’t asked to handle the ball consistently in college, according to Neuffer.
It was easy to see all the reasons Evans was praised as a great draft pick, erratic shooting notwithstanding. Let’s just hope for more growth in his second outing.
Lakers feature first round pick Moritz Wagner
The Warriors’ opponent tonight, the L.A. Lakers, will feature a first round pick of their own in Moritz Wagner out of Michigan (#GoBlue).
As Orion Sang of the Detroit Free Press described, it was an up and down performance for Wagner but he had some nice plays on both ends of the court when he wasn’t getting posterized against the Sacramento Kings earlier in the California Classic.
As I root for all Wolverines to succeed in life, I’ll probably quietly hope for more solid play from Wagner tonight.
How to watch:
Golden State Warriors vs. L.A. Lakers
12 p.m. PST
Golden1 Center — Sacramento, CA
TV: NBA TV