The Warriors selected a two-way wing in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, taking Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans with the 28th overall pick. Evans fits the mold of the long-armed athletic type that general manager Bob Myers has coveted over the years.
Myers gave his evaluation of Evans shortly after the NBA Draft, and explained what stood out.
“The game I went to they blew the other team out,” Myers said of scouting Evans. “So he played a good first half. He actually hurt his finger in that game so he left in the early second, came back, but they were up by 25, I forget what team they were playing.
“But the thing I took away was he’s a serious player. He’s a guy that’s defensive-minded. You don’t see a ton of college kids locked in on that side of the ball. Has kind of a knack for it, on-the-ball defender, off-the-ball defender, he has a nose for rebounding.
You can picture him playing in an NBA game is kind’ve how I walked away, and I think that’s kind’ve the feeling in our draft room is you can play this guy. And so for us that’s important. We like a guy who can play. I don’t think Steve (Kerr)’s going to have any problem putting him out there, and he seems like a hard worker, so hopefully he can get better.”
Bob Myers went and scouted Jacob Evans this season. He gives his impressions. pic.twitter.com/Lb0EuRL0yC
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 22, 2018
Evans also received a ringing endorsement from Draymond Green, who spent the entire draft in Golden State’s war room.
“Draymond said this kid knows how to play,” Myers said. “That’s a compliment. That’s a pretty high compliment.”
The first call to Jacob Evans came from Steve Kerr. He then handed the phone to Draymond Green. Bob Myers on that moment + Green's thoughts on Evans pic.twitter.com/ausoi5dGXL
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 22, 2018