Los Angeles Clippers Rookie Guard Jawun Evans will reportedly require season-ending surgery due to his sports hernia, Doc Rivers told media on Monday.
According to Brad Turner of the LA Times, Los Angeles Clippers Rookie Guard Jawun Evans will require season-ending surgery.
Evans, the 39th pick in last year’s draft, has been dealing with sports hernia this year. He was held out of 17 consecutive games from late January to early March because of the injury. Evans’s teammate Avery Bradley began dealing with a similar issue shortly after he was traded from Detroit, and he also needed surgery to fix it.
Evans has averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 assists in his inaugural season, after playing two years at Oklahoma State University. He’s developed a reputation for being a hard-nosed defender and excellent passer, despite his small stature.
He scored a career-high 15 points twice this season, once against the Washington Wizards and again versus the Rockets. In the former, he also recorded a career-high five steals.
In all cases, Jawun’s first year should be considered a success. When he was drafted, few thought that he would get sufficient minutes on the court. But with the numerous injuries sustained this season, Evans had to step up and take on roles beyond initial expectations. Not only did he play well in those opportunities, but he showed that with the right coaching and direction, he could become a great franchise piece in the near future. His only real knock is his size. But he’s crafty enough to work around that.
Given the relatively short recovery time of the surgery, it’s safe to assume that Evans will be well rested and ready to go for next season.