Last night, Turner was the fourth sub off coach Doug Collins' bench, entering with 2 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first quarter. Turner finished with four points and four rebounds as the Sixers improved to 20-9 with a 98-89 win over the lowly Bobcats (3-25).
Asked whether he thought Turner was slumping right now, coach Doug Collins replied: "I don't think that. I think what happens sometimes is we get caught with teams, and it's hard for me to take Dre [Andre Iguodala] off the floor if he's playing against one of the [opposition's] key guys. A lot of times, he gets matched up with a guy, and I want him to stay on that guy until the other coach rests [that key player] as well.
"And sometimes what ends up happening is Evan might not get in until the last minute or two of the third quarter or the last minute or two of the first quarter. Sometimes, we get caught a little bit like that.
"I like Jodie [Meeks] out on the court with certain guys, because he gives us a lot of space out on the floor and energy with his shooting. A lot of times, it gets caught up like that, so I think it's more of that than anything else.
"That's what this season is all about. Everybody wants to play; everybody wants to get their minutes. I wouldn't want anybody on my team that was happy sitting over there on the bench. I want them to all be out there. But there are certain nights where the minutes don't get there. But the one thing I've learned is that you always manage ahead. If you manage behind, you're dealing with crisis. If you manage ahead, you're dealing with people before they get down like that. I'm always talking with our guys, whether via text or face to face. I understand the nuances of this game. I've been around it for 40 years. I don't think there's anything that's going to surprise me."
