Is Jeremy Evans the most unknown NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner of all-time? It sure seems like it, and that’s probably because he’s played 129 minutes this season for Utah after playing 217 the year previous. His one, no-brainer skill is dunking, a feat that doesn’t lend itself to a major roll for coach Tyrone Corbin but is a centerpiece of this year’s 2013 NBA All-Star Game’s Slam Dunk Contest.
In order to get everyone to know Evans a little better, we’re counting down his top 10 dunks just as we’ve done with all the rest of this year’s Slam Dunk Contest field.
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10. ONE-HANDED ALLEY-OOP
Resist the temptation to write this dunk off as underwhelming. While the crowd in New Jersey last season during this game had dwindled to basically the players’ wives and loved ones, and though Evans’ long limbs make it seem easy, this dunk was not. Look how he turns his body to avoid an offensive foul while still flushing the oop. That’s athleticism, even if about 300 people saw it live.
9. EASY 360-DEGREE SLAM
In what appears to be a Jazz practice open to the public at Salt Lake Community College, from around a training camp, Evans yams a windmill alley-oop off a pass from Wesley Matthews. This is a little more Zapruder film-esque quality than I like but how can you deny a windmill oop, off one step? That’s difficult.
8. WINDMILL OFF AN OOP
Same practice as before, but this time he throws down a 360-degree slam with incredible ease. The height he reaches is key here, but don’t overlook his rotation, either. Some players will rush the spin because they’re afraid they won’t get it off in time. Evans casually lets his rotation carry him through because he’s confident he’ll land it.
7. ‘TOPPING A COLLEGE COACH
If you scour the Internet long enough you’ll find that Western Kentucky held an instrasquad dunk contest what looks to be every year Evans played for the Hilltoppers. It was a wise decision. This dunk came in 2008 and you can miss it if you’re not watching closely because his approach at first just looks like he’s walking closer to talk to the fellow — then-WKU assistant Ray Harper — he’s dunking over. And then, boom.
6. PUTBACK SLAM
Evans is all arms and legs, which makes his body seem like an exaggerated superhero at times. In this clip, he goes up and gets a putback that only a few players in the NBA could because of his reaction and reach with those long arms.
5. DUNKIN’ ON VANDY
Evans didn’t catch many fans’ eyes by playing at Western Kentucky. So, given a chance to play against a good SEC school in Vanderbilt, he responded with two Sportscenter Top 10 dunks. That’s good timing, threefold.
4. OVER KEVIN HART
I’m torn, being a big fan of dunkers jumping over things but not a fan at all of Kevin Hart. Here’s the tiebreaker: length. Evans takes off from pretty far out to nail this one down, and that’s good enough for me.
3. GREAT WALL
I tend to value what a person does in a game more than in a contest. Yes, you can be more creative with hours to prepare but what about a few seconds? Evans doesn’t let a late pass hold him down, literally, by mauling Gerald Wallace.
2. TWO BALLS
Once you get past Reggie Miller‘s grating commentary and can focus on the dunk itself, it’s really pretty amazing. If the one critique is that he guided the balls into the rim instead of catching them, I’d counter with that’s still realllly hard to do.
1. OVER RONNY TURIAF
The Clippers’ Ronny Turiaf gets a golf clap for trying to even contest this eventual poster dunk after already being swatted. Though it was preseason and he was fighting for a job, we think he could have stayed back and let Evans dunk in peace and it would have been fine with his teammates. Then again, if he had done that, we wouldn’t have a No. 1 dunk on our list.
What do you think?
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