Warriors see draft pick Jacob Evans as key piece of roster

OAKLAND - Even the greatest basketball team in the world has needs.

With the 28th pick in the NBA draft, the Warriors filled a need, took Cincinnati wingman Jacob Evans, a prototypical 3-and-D player. Someone who shoots 3s well and plays tough defense.

The Warriors didn’t have 3-and-D wings on their bench last season. They had 3-OR-D wings, players who excelled at one or the other, shooting or defense.

Nick Young provided the shooting. He shot 37.7 percent from behind the arc during the regular season, but struggled to defend. And Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Patrick McCaw provided the D. They guarded the opponents’ best offensive players, but shot extremely poorly from long distance. All three made less than 29 percent of their 3s. Livingston didn’t even shoot any.

Now, the Warriors have a backup wing who excels on both ends of the court. Evans is what coaches and basketball executives call a “two-way player.”

“He’s a guy who is defensive-minded,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Thursday night. “He has kind of a knack for it, either as an on-the-ball defender or an off-the-ball defender. You can picture him playing in NBA games.”

Evans, 21, has an NBA-frame. He is 6-foot-6 with a 6-9 wingspan, and weighs 210 pounds.

He grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and played three seasons at Cincinnati, where he shot 4.4 3s per game and made 37.7 percent. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks, and defended multiple positions.

“He can guard 1, 2, and 3,” Myers said. “He can switch screens. There are not many players who can guard Western Conference point guards, Western Conference shooting guards and 3s. That’s a skill right here.

“Some guys care about defense, and some guys don’t. When you get to the NBA, there’s a wakeup call. If you can’t guard your position in our league, they will pick on you relentlessly. If you can’t hold your ground defensively and you’re giving up baskets, you better be an elite scorer.

“With a guy like this, you’re very comfortable. And look, he’s not going not to be there right away. But, he has the potential. So, when he’s got a guy he’s guarding, you’re comfortable. You say, ‘We have the advantage here.’ And that’s what you want.

“You want to have the advantage as much as possible. You’d like to believe that Jacob Evans is a guy who can hold down his position. And not only that, if he switched onto another position, he can hold that down, too. And he did a lot of those things in college.”

As a freshman, Evans came off the bench for Cincinnati, and his team’s record that season was 22-11. As a sophomore, he became a full-time starter, and Cincinnati’s record jumped to 30-6. As a junior, his final season in college, Cincinnati’s record improved to 31-5.

Evans’ junior season was outstanding. He led Cincinnati in scoring (13 points per game) and assists (3.1 per game), while transcending his 3-and-D role. He became the primary ball-handler, the primary passer. A quasi-point guard.

This role wasn’t new to Evans. He grew up playing point guard – that was his position all the way through high school. “You can put me anywhere,” Evans said Wednesday in the Warriors practice facility after a pre-draft workout with the team. “Being a versatile guard will help me in my career.”

A reporter asked Evans which NBA player he models his game after. “(Minnesota Timberwolves guard) Jimmy Butler would be a good one,” Evans said. “He’s a combo guard-forward guy. He can guard 1, 2 or 3. He was the 30th pick. Now, he’s a multi-year All-Star. I see that for myself. I’m probably a little underrated.”

And modest.

As Evans spoke, he had just finished his second pre-draft workout with the Warriors. His first workout took place during their Championship parade on June 12. Evans watched that parade from the window of his hotel room, watched his future teammates celebrate on the streets of downtown Oakland, not knowing they were his future teammates.

This Wednesday, the day before the draft, Evans discussed the impression he felt he made on the Warriors during the two workouts.

“I just tried to show I can guard, know how to play the game, have a high IQ and make the right plays,” Evans said. “You see it in the Warriors offense, a lot of their guards set screens to free themselves. They come off screens. They come off the pick-and-roll.

“I tried to show my game can adapt to different settings on the basketball court. I feel the Warriors would like a player who can do that.”

As it turned out, Evans knew his business.