Golden State Warriors: 5 goals for Jacob Evans’ rookie season

3. Defend at a high level

One of the many reasons that the Golden State Warriors dominate their competition is that their rotation lacks one-way players. The players this team relies on game in and game out are generally gifted in multiple ways that leaves the team less open to exploitation.

Therefore, to become a full-time member of the rotation, Evans has to prove himself to be a two-way player. Offensively he needs to hit a high percentage of his open shots, move the ball and not turn it over. Meanwhile, the defensive end is where Evans should butter his bread.

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As a three-year player under defensive guru Mick Cronin at Cincinnati, Evans has been developed into a smart defender. Specifically, his use of hands on defense allows him to gain advantages even over the best offensive players. Not only poking the ball away for steals, Evans uses the positioning of his hands to prevent opposing scorers from raising up for a jump shot, or making the easy pass to an open player.

In fact, Evans’ use of hands mimics that of another player on the Warriors — Andre Iguodala. While the comparison is stylistic more than qualitative — Iguodala is one of the best the league has ever seen in wing defense — Evans will be well-suited to learn from the master.

If Evans shows he can be a reliable defender during the season — not even elite yet, but simply not a liability — he will have a place in the rotation. His fit next to Curry when Klay Thompson sits is especially intriguing, as Evans has the size to guard wings but also the quickness to take on point guards.