Golden State Warriors: 2018 NBA Draft grades

The Golden State Warriors selected Jacob Evans with their lone pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Here is our grade for their pick.

The back-to-back world champion Golden State Warriors entered the 2018 NBA Draft armed with only the No. 28 pick. They made that selection count, taking Jacob Evans out of the University of Cincinnati.

Evans is a 6’6″, 200-pound wing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He spent three seasons at Cincinnati, starting in all 72 of their games in his latter two. Evans averaged 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in his final year on campus. That production earned him First Team All-AAC honors.

Evans worked out with the Warriors twice heading into the draft. He is the prototypical “3-and-D” player, sporting a 6’9″ wingspan and some good bounce. He is also a high-IQ player on both ends of the floor.

The “3” part was apparent in college. Evans shot 37.0 percent from 3-point range last season and 41.8 percent the year before. According to Synergy, he produced 1.012 points per possession on spot-ups (69th percentile). In terms of “D”, he allowed only 0.683 points per possession when defending isolations (67th percentile).

Jacob Evans was also dangerous in the open floor. He produced 1.075 points per possession in transition (57th percentile). Some of those fast break opportunities tended to start from turnovers he created on the defensive end. He also showed flashes of playmaking, netting a 1.72 assist-to-turnover ratio during his final year in college.

It’s wonderful that Evans is solid in a lot of facets. It means that he will be able to contribute to the Warriors in multiple ways. However, that also means he isn’t elite at anything. That obviously won’t be an issue for Golden State right now, but his potential is capped as a role player if he is unable to grow specific aspects of his game.

Evans’ shot selection can also be questionable at times, as he tends to settle for pull-up 2-pointers. Then again, if versatility and pull-up 2s are his only two glaring negatives, then the Warriors are in good shape with this selection.

Golden State adds another young player that, like Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw and Quinn Cook before him, could contribute right away. Evans will definitely benefit from Andre Iguodala‘s mentorship, and will likely take some of his minutes, too.

Drafting Evans could potentially mean the end for McCaw in the East Bay. McCaw is a restricted free agent with a $1.7 million qualifying offer. Meanwhile, the most Evans can get in the first year of his rookie scale contract is $1.6 million. That doesn’t automatically mean the Warriors won’t fight to retain McCaw. However, the cost of the fight and the redundancy of their skills could point to Pat being out.

Twitter reacted positively to Golden State’s selection of Evans:

It makes sense that social media would rally around this pick. His play at Cincinnati wowed many fans and journalists. Having a skilled player like that go to a franchise like the Warriors seems like a match made in heaven.

The Golden State Warriors had only a single late first round pick, so they needed to make it count. It looks like they have a hit with Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans. In a draft full of 3-and-D wings, he is the one of the most polished of them all.

His athleticism, defensive and floor-spacing abilities will help him contribute right away. It will allow him to pick up wherever Andre Iguodala leaves off, and it’s a solid pick for the championship franchise.

Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

Grade: A