No. 2 overall pick, Philadelphia 76ers, 2010
Shooting for wing prospects is the ultimate make-or-break test. Most elite wing prospects are already great finishers and defensive prospects thanks to athleticism, length and touch, and it’s a huge bonus if they can pass because that means they can have a future as a primary initiator. It’s whether or not they form an outside shot that ultimately decides their outcome. Shooting was Jarrett Culver‘s biggest question last year, and it’s LaMelo Ball’s this year. If either learns to shoot, they could start to look like Jayson Tatum. If they can’t, then they probably end up looking like Evan Turner.
Turner is here despite a middling career because he had all of those tools — he was a good finisher who could also get to the line frequently, he was a fantastic passer, from the wing and he had the frame and decision-making to find a role as a decent team defender. All of those things came to fruition in the NBA as well, which helped him be a starter on several Portland playoff teams. The problem was that the shooting swing skill never swung positive, and that became a hindrance for him becoming an All-Star type player.