Celtics Sign Evan Turner

The news that Celtics have come to terms on a contract with Evan Turner has me more confused than anything else.

The signing gives the C's 18 players under contract, meaning they have to shed at least three players by the start of training camp.

It also further adds to the glut of players on the roster who are considered wing players.

Here's the current breakdown of the Celtics roster by point guard, wing player, and low post player.

PG (3) - Rajon Rondo, Marcus Smart, and Phil Pressey

WP (9) - Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Evan Turner, Marcus Thornton, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, James Young, Chris Johnson,  and Chris Babb

LP (6) - Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller, Joel Anthony, and Vitor Faverani

The next step for the Celtics is nearly impossible to predict.  Danny Ainge has several options and there's no real way to know what he's going to do.

He could simply release Bogans, Johnson, and Babb - all of whom have non-guaranteed contracts - to get down to 15 players while also keeping the Celtics from paying the luxury tax.

A trade - or multiple trades - could also be in the works.  Rondo, Green, and Bass are all veterans who could be moved to contenders (or teams trying to become contenders) as the Celtics shift into a long-term rebuilding process.

Turner, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, is a classic case of Ainge trying to buy low on a player who once was thought of highly by NBA front office people who has seen his stock drop in his first four seasons.  He has career averages of 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game and was having a nice statistical season with the 76ers last year (17.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game) but after being traded to Indiana and given a chance to help a contender, he struggled mightily.  That's a big part of the reason why he was available for Ainge to sign for relatively cheap money.

His problem is that he's not a good shooter - he's a career 42.7% shooter from the field and only 32.6% from 3-point - which is a major issue for a wing player in today's NBA.  If he does not improve upon those numbers, he's going to struggle to find consistent success.

The above video does illustrate the strengths of Turner's game.  He's an above average ball handler.  He can get to the basket and finish in traffic (he's a 60.3% shooter from 0-3 feet).  His mid-range jump shot is also above average (40.6% shooter from 10-16 feet).  I also like his post-up game against guards.

The issue will be whether or not he can become a consistent 3-point shooter.  If he can become a 40% shooter from behind the arc, combined with the other positives in his offensive game, Turner has a chance to become a significant NBA wing player.  If not, Ainge has acquired a player who will have success on some nights but is not developed enough as a player to be consistently successful.