Soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Evan Turner will have a decision to make about where he plays next season. Turner expressed a willingness to take a discount just to stay with the Celtics under Brad Stevens, but has recently been linked to the New York Knicks.
In his eight-year career, Turner has never been deemed a three-point shooter. He’s never averaged more than two attempts per game. The focus of his offense is his in between game, which he feels is the future, as he explained in an interview with Complex:
“The future is in the midrange,” Turner said. “The midrange is where the money’s at, man. I think the 3-point shot opens up the court and everything like that, but M.J. and all those great players made all of their money out of the midrange. So I’m not sorry for that at all. Evan M. Turner. For sure, ‘M’ stands for midrange. Anywhere within 15 feet is cash. I’ll try to get better at 3s, but that’s my game.”
The current trend of the league is in direct opposition to Turner’s position, as three-pointers are being hoisted at a higher rate than ever before. That can be partially attributed to the Golden State Warriors, who happen to boast the most prolific shooting backcourt the league has ever seen.
In that same breath, we can point to players like Dwyane Wade and LaMarcus Aldridge, or even more relevant at this point, Shaun Livingston, who still make heavy use of the midrange game. There will always be a place for it. We’ll never be in a space where every single player in the league can shoot threes. That doesn’t necessarily mean the midrange is the way of the future as Turner predicts. Will the game eventually revert back to more of that style of play? Perhaps, but for now the three-point equalizer is a prevalent piece of the league’s immediate future.
