Watching a team that has won three of the last four NBA titles that is favored to win a fourth in five years, it’s hard to really see the struggle that goes into competing at the highest level.
For rookie Jacob Evans, he deals with the struggle of adapting to NBA basketball every day. His minutes have been inconsistent and he’s still trying to get the kinks in his jumper worked out. Evans, naturally, didn’t expect to come into the NBA going through this, but he’s enjoying the learning experience.
“None of it has been how I thought it would be,” said Evans, who is averaging 0.6 points, 1.6 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game this season. “But that’s how everything is when you’re going through it. With this being the NBA, I never know what to expect but its been fun so far – a lot of learning and just working on my game and just trying to watch and get better every day.”
Evans isn’t a complete lost cause yet, and head coach Steve Kerr will send him down the G-League during the season to get reps like he’s done with Damian Jones and Jordan Bell in the past.
“The goal was to get some minutes and to get some run in on the court so I can work on my game,” Evans added. “Build confidence in my play on the court.”
During his G-League stints, Evans is spending his time on the court guarding opposing teams’ best player, something he hopes he can bring up to the NBA on a team that is at its best when they’re playing well defensively. For now, it’s more work so he can earn a regular rotation spot with the Warriors.