Warriors re-assign Jacob Evans III to the G League

Golden State’s first-round draft pick is headed back to Santa Cruz.

Not for the first time, and likely not for the last, the Golden State Warriors are assigning Jacob Evans III to the G League. The team announced the news on Sunday.

Evans, the 28th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has yet to fully acclimate to the NBA game. The Warriors were hoping that he’d be an NBA-ready pick, but so far he has proven not to be. He’s played just 86 minutes this year, primarily in garbage time, and has struggled to score, shooting just 5-22 from the field, and 1-6 from beyond the arc.

Since he’s at the back of the bench, it makes sense to have him in the G League, where he can get some run with Golden State’s affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. In five appearances with Santa Cruz, Evans is averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

The Warriors still have plenty of hope that Evans will become a key part of the rotation in the future, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that he won’t be contributing this season.