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Evan Turner vs. Wesley Johnson – Who Will Be The Better Shooter?

June 23rd, 2010 Sebastian Pruiti Leave a comment Go to comments

John Wall is the consensus #1 pick in tomorrow’s draft, and most people think he will be a very good, if not great pro. However, the opinions of the next-best two perimeter players are up in the air. Many people are wondering who will be the better pro between Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson. In my opinion, it all comes down to who will be the better shooter in the pros, and who can effectively take the step back to the NBA three point line, because all other things on the offensive end are relatively equal (Wesley Johnson is a bit more athletic/Evan Turner has a slightly better handle).

Shooting Form

Wesley Johnson

I absolutely love Wesley Johnson’s shooting form. He is a jump shooter rather than a set shooter, and his fundamentals are really on point, elbows are bent the right way, guide hand is on the side of the ball and it isn’t used during the shot. My favorite thing about his shot though is how high he keeps the basketball up on his release. Wesley Johnson is 6′6″ so he is already just as tall as most threes and probably taller than most shooting guards trying to defend him on the outside. With the way that Johnson keeps the ball up, there is going to be no way his shot gets altered/blocked when shooting from the outside.

Evan Turner

Evan Turner too is a jump shooter rather than a set shooter. Turner also has solid form when looking at his elbow and guide hand (you can’t see it from here, so you are going to have to take my word for it). However, what I don’t like in Turner’s form is what I love in Johnson’s, where the basketball is. Wesley Johnson kept the basketball up ridiculously high, but Evan Turner looks like he is almost resting the ball on his shoulder. In my opinion, he keeps the basketball too low, but that has never been a problem in college because as M. Haubs of The Painted Area mentioned, he has been going up against smaller defenders most of his college career.

Off The Dribble

Both players here don’t really like to take jumpers off the dribble a ton, and when they do, they tend to turn their back to their defenders and rely on turn around jumpers.

Wesley Johnson

Evan Turner

The thing that sticks out to me when watching these two videos is the body position at the release point of the shot. While Evan Turner is fading away, Wesley Johnson is sending his body towards the basket.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Wesley Johnson will be the better shooter in the pros. His skillset will allow him to take the step back to the three point line, and the fact that he keeps the ball higher than Evan Turner really appeals to me.

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joe

sorry james but your wrong...johnsons picture isnt of his release i am a diehard syracuse fan and have watched everygame for the past thirteen years. Johnsons shot actually starts where this picture is taken he doesnt have a large cockback as turner does (and also John Wall) rather, he extends his arms fully and uses his wrist to propel the ball into the air.
Matt

@Rob Zombie

Jordan's shot looked absolutely nothing like what you describe. Just watch the most famous jumper he took (title game) and you see that. Comparing anyone's form to another player is silly. It's all about how it works for them. They both should be good pros and have their strengths. Johnson is and will always be the better pure shooter and better athlete (from an explosive aspect). Turner will always be the better ball handler, and will probably be more effective getting to the rim. It also depends on the situation they get in (from a team standpoint). But Johnson does have one ready, go to move that will work in the NBA; he shoots the step back j better than anyone in the college game in a few years. As for Johnson tailing off; I guess you didn't bother watching the NCAA Tournament, or don't get the differences in the offenses and players. Turner had the ball 75% of the time with OSU, and was the PG, and was the guy they tried to run things for. Johnson's team was MUCH more balanced, and he wasn't asked to do as much. Totally different systems that make me think people don't quite get it.
Mack

Johnson barely averaged 16 ppg as a 3rd year college player. He started off the season on fire and then tailed off. Turner started on fire (triple double) and ended on fire. To me, Johnson's shooting form actually looks a bit awkward. Sure he holds it high...but it almost looks too high. I saw both he and Turner play in person here at WVU and to me, Turner was far and above the better player. Turner dominated portions of our game while Johnson just seemed to hang back most of the game. I mean, if Shawn Marion can make a decent amount of threes with his shooting form, than I think Turner will be fine.
Jaffe

turner might not be a better shooter, he will be a better player, turner reminds me of an oversized pg in the sense he has so much command of the game, i dont think johnson has the same ability to break down guys of the dribble, thats the issue
Jason

So you're comparing Evan Turner to Michael Jordan? That's a bold statement. You have to take into consideration the difference of athleticism between MJ and Turner. Turner is an underrated athlete, but no where close to the type of athlete MJ was in his young 20's.
Chris

Regardless, he who passes on Big Cuz will be sorry....
Sebastian Pruiti

@Josh
Valid point Josh...I watched through about 4 Ohio State games, so what I had to choose from was limited. I guess my problem with Turner's drive there is that he could have went straight to it and pulled up for a jumper, but he turned his back...

@Ray and @Archie - those guys are point guards. They have other points covering them not small forwards. Also, both those guys ability to penetrate into the lane prevents the defense from crowding their shooting lane. This gives them a little bit more space, and the reason why they can shoot off their shoulders.

Good points though, and they are definitely valid...
jason b

i just want to say that i heard all about this evan turner guy and didn't think much until i watched him play and was amazed how he could go where ever he wanted with the ball. he was really impressive and i was hoping my wolves would get him
Demetrius

I believe that they both will end up as great pros with two different styles of games. Wesley's game reminds me of Vince Carter's. He’s a great shooter, excellent athlete, average ball handler. Wesley’s success as a pro will depend on someone feeding him the ball. Evan’s game reminds me more of Tyreke Evan's. He can break you down off the dribble, get into the lane using a variety of moves, and his jump shot is decent enough to keep you honest. The best NBA players are the ones who can create off the dribble when the game is on the line and I believe that this is what separates Evan Turner from Wesley Johnson. If you don’t believe me, ask the Orlando Magic if they prefer Vince Carter or Hedo Turkoglu when the game is on the line.
Josh

I don't think you picked very good clips to compare midrange shots. Johnson has the defender off balance and unable to get off the ground to challenge the shot and is closer to the hoop (around 6-7 feet I'd guess) and going off the glass, Turner was forced into a tougher shot from farther away (about 13 feet) and the defender was right in his grill. You could probably find a clip of any player in the NBA, including Kobe or Wade fading on a shot when well defended just below the FT line and leaning into a shot when the defender is off balance on the block. I just really don't think those clips tell us anything about their midrange shooting, except that on the one possession shown for each Johnson got a better look.
Ray

A lot of experts and analysts say that Steve Nash shoots with perfect form. You can see that the ball rests almost above his shoulder when he shoots. He's proven that he has one of the best jumpshots in the NBA. What say you?
Archie

I agree with the comments made above. While I don't wish to put words in anyone's mouth, technique and shooting form are one of many variables that will go into determining who is the better pro. Obviously there are several factors that will have a great impact, including coaching, playing time, how each is used within their team's system, etc.

With that said, I'd like to make a comparison that is odd in most respects, but I feel that it is spot on when discussing shooting form: John Stockton. A small player, who wasn't a better athlete than most of the players he was up against, shot the ball just over his right shoulder and did quite well for himself as a shooter throughout the years, compiling impressive shooting percentages as a point guard. I would never think of Stockton's shooting form as "textbook" or even "pretty good", but he managed to be quite effective.

Either way, Turner could stand to tweak his shooting form as he will be playing against tougher defenders, while Johnson will have to work on his all around game. I'm looking forward to seeing both in the league this year!
James

Form is not a good indication on how good a player will be in the NBA. Just look at Redick and Wade. Redick's form is picture perfect, but he is a far worse player than Wade who's form resembles that of Turner's (at least in terms of ball placement relative to the shoulders). On top of that, Wesley's picture above shows him in the shooting motion. If you've played basketball, it becomes quite obvious that he is in the middle of releasing while Turner's picture shows him just finished cocking the ball and just about to begin the releasing motion. Although it's a poor choice of pictures, Wesley's picture does show him shooting the ball while being defended very well ala Battier vs Kobe.
kenny boutsisavath

I agree 100% Evan Turner is overrated, Wesley Johnson i believe will surprise a lot of people.
buddha bro

i also think you miss the point. there are a lot of nba players with great shot, but with awful form, which leads me to conclusion that form is just one of the elements - it does not matter how you shoot, but whether you score or not. evan has shown flashes of outside game this season as well as wesley, and its a big stretch to say that player A or B will possess a better jumper in few years - nba coaching staff will make some adjustments in their technique anyway.

too early for this post, wait till all star break.
Sebastian Pruiti

Usually I totally agree with you, but when the form is going to determine whether your shot gets altered or not, that is when it becomes a problem. But, you are right, this is going to be interesting to revisit at the All-Star break...
Rob Zombie

Your analysis is off. If you were to go back and analyze players like MJ in college, his jump shot looked just like that of Evan Turner. Turner will be the better pro because of his ball handling skills and his all around versitility on the floor.
Sebastian Pruiti

Thanks for the comment, and you are no doubt entitled to your opinion, but that ball is way too much on my shoulder for at least my liking, especially when going up against long NBA defenders. Just my opinion though...