BOSTON — Could the right man to run the Celtics’ offense really be … Evan Turner?
It sure looked that way Wednesday.
For the third time this season, head coach Brad Stevens gave Turner the starting nod at point guard, and for the third time, the Celtics left with a victory, this one a 106-84 beatdown of the Sacramento Kings at TD Garden.
“I just wanted to get off to a good start, help the team get off to a good start, try to play well defensively and keep my turnovers down,” Turner said after the game.
Turnovers have been a problem for the former No. 2 overall pick in the past, and he still ended up giving away the ball a team-high four times against the Kings. But he also finished with 11 assists — the first time Turner’s recorded double-digit helpers in his career and the second time a Celtics point guard has done so since Rajon Rondo left town (Jameer Nelson also had 11 in a loss to the Miami Heat).
Turner ran the point only sparingly in his first four pro seasons but did so at length during his first preseason with the Celtics. It also was his primary position at Ohio State, which he says made for an easy transition.
“It wasn’t an adjustment,” Turner said. “That’s how I grew up playing. I got drafted No. 2 playing point guard, then the experts put me at the wing. They said I wasn’t a fit.”
Slotting Turner into the starting five also allowed rookie Marcus Smart to play with Nelson on the second unit — a combination Stevens said had worked well in practice earlier in the week. They seemed to click again against Sacramento, with Smart tallying 11 points and six rebounds and Nelson dishing out eight assists.
“I thought (Turner and Smart) both played well, so that’s a plus-plus,” Stevens said. “So, we’ll see moving forward how that plays itself out. I said this (Tuesday), I thought Marcus played well with Jameer, and it kind of showed itself true in a couple of runs there today.”
Nelson also has the ability to act as an on-court mentor to the much younger Smart, who in his first NBA season still has much to learn about the point guard position.
“(Smart) listens to him,” said forward Jae Crowder, who came over with Nelson in the Rondo deal. “Jameer has been through almost everything in this league, and he’s trying to help (Smart) as much as possible. It helps when he’s on the court with him, because he sees the stuff that maybe Smart’s seeing but is not there. I think that’s the biggest key: he’s listening to him, he’s open and he’s trying to learn.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
