Jawun Evans:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#1
I really like Evans, and he's projected to go somewhere between mid first and the bottom of the first round. I would love the Kings to hedge their bets at the PG position even if they draft a PG at 8 or 10. Portland has three 1st round picks, the 15th, 20th, and 26th. Portland is also, like the Clippers, in salary cap hell. Actually, they're in a worse position than the Clippers. There's not much they can do about it. At least the Clips can let one, or even two big names walk away. Portland's money is tied up for the next 3 to 4 years.

Portland is also the team that was good enough (barely) to make the playoffs and then get swept by the Warriors. So with no cap space to use in freeagency, how do you improve in order to move up in the pecking order? We're in a position cap wise to absorb some salary. So why not trade our 2nd round pick and Afflalo to the Trailblazers for either Maurice Harkless, or Meyers Leonard and the 20th pick in the 1st round? I know they would counter with Evan Turner, but he makes too much, and is a terrible three point shooter. Otherwise, I like Turner.

With the 20th pick we draft Jawun Evans. I think Evans is a very underrated player. He's not an elite athlete, but he gets anywhere he wants on the court. He'll remind you a bit of Isaiah Thomas, who when he was at Washington, I said would be a better NBA player than he was a college player. I feel the same way about Evans, who is listed at 6'1", but I think is closer to 5'11".

Contrary to someone mentioning that Evans had shooting problems, he is a good outside shooter. He shot 47.5% from the three his freshman year, and finished this year averaging 37.9% from the three, after starting off shooting 56% in his first ten games. His three point average for two years is 40.7%. I don't think anyone would call that poor shooting. To say he's very good at attacking the basket would be accurate, but there's nothing wrong with his mid-range pull up, or his three point shot. Here's a short video.


 

hrdboild

Hall of Famer
#2
I don't know who will be left at #10, but I'd even be open to trading down in some kind of package deal just to target Evans in the 18-24 range (plus other pieces -- I like the idea of getting Harkless too). I really like Evans and I'd be surprised if he's not at the very least a very good backup PG in the league. I'm a little bit worried about him defensively because he is on the small size and the position is trending bigger, but if we're adding him as positional depth that's less of a concern. He goes toe to toe with anyone in this draft as a ballhandler and with smallish guards who create their own shot suddenly dominating the league, this guy looks like a can't miss talent to me. Give him minutes and he'll get you 15 and 5 a game reliably.
 
#3
Evans reminds me a lot of the current Darren Collison. Wouldn't mind drafting him with a late 1st. I don't think he's a good 3pt shooter yet. He's hesitant from there, and his low 3PA really supports it.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#4
Evans reminds me a lot of the current Darren Collison. Wouldn't mind drafting him with a late 1st. I don't think he's a good 3pt shooter yet. He's hesitant from there, and his low 3PA really supports it.
He worked very hard on improving his form between his freshman and sophmore years. His release is higher, and quicker. Not sure what attempts has to do with anything. He's not a ball hog or a player that looks for his own shot. How can you be so high on a player like Smith, who was very inconsistent with his three point shot, but criticize Evans, who shot over 40% from the three for his two years at Oklahoma St. It's one thing to say he needs to shoot more, but it's quite a different thing to say he's a bad shooter because he didn't shoot as much as you would have liked.

Smith took just under 5 three pt attempts a game and Evans took right at 3 attempts a game. And, Evans shot a better percentage than Smith, who shot just over 35%. Which isn't terrible, and good enough to make the opposition guard you. I'm not being critical of Smith, just using him as a comparison. Evans also shot 81% from the three point line, which can be an indicator of how good a shooter you can be.

I see your comparison to Collison, but I think Evans is a less selfish than Collison. Collison has always been more of a shoot first PG. Which is popular in the NBA right now. I don't think Evans falls into that catagory. Evans is good at running the pick and roll. Something like 75% of all the scoring by Evans or his teammates came off the pick and roll.
 
#5
I've been high on Evans all season.

Dealing Afflalo and taking back salary to get a pick wouldn't be an awful move, though the Kings roster is already getting crowded. Leonard or Harkless would fill a need though so I'd be okay with either, especially Harkless.

But another option might be to just trade down with Portland. #10 for #15 and either #20 or more likely #26.

If nobody we like is left at 10 but Portland sees a big they like then that deal could work well, especially if the Kings land Anunoby and Evans.
 
#6
Do you think the Kings will have a shot at Jawun Evans with our 2nd? Mocks have him going anywhere from 28-35.

Would you be willing to do something like Koufos/34 for Brewer/28? The Lakers don't really need another big, but they get to offload Brewers contract and get a cheaper pick that holds almost equal value.

This would allow the Kings to have a young PG core of DSJ/Evans or Ntilikina/Evans going forward.
 
#7
He worked very hard on improving his form between his freshman and sophmore years. His release is higher, and quicker. Not sure what attempts has to do with anything. He's not a ball hog or a player that looks for his own shot. How can you be so high on a player like Smith, who was very inconsistent with his three point shot, but criticize Evans, who shot over 40% from the three for his two years at Oklahoma St. It's one thing to say he needs to shoot more, but it's quite a different thing to say he's a bad shooter because he didn't shoot as much as you would have liked.

Smith took just under 5 three pt attempts a game and Evans took right at 3 attempts a game. And, Evans shot a better percentage than Smith, who shot just over 35%. Which isn't terrible, and good enough to make the opposition guard you. I'm not being critical of Smith, just using him as a comparison. Evans also shot 81% from the three point line, which can be an indicator of how good a shooter you can be.

I see your comparison to Collison, but I think Evans is a less selfish than Collison. Collison has always been more of a shoot first PG. Which is popular in the NBA right now. I don't think Evans falls into that catagory. Evans is good at running the pick and roll. Something like 75% of all the scoring by Evans or his teammates came off the pick and roll.
His shooting mechanics from 3pt is inconsistent, and he has a tendency to hesitate like DC. Jawun Evans has a very very small sample size for his 3pt shot and that's why I think his 3pt% is not an accurate indication of his 3pt shooting ability. Coincidentally, Collison let the entire NBA in 3pt%... Not saying DC or Evans are the same in terms of shooting, but DC's 41.7% doesn't tell you that he has one of the longest shot gathers in the entire NBA. 41.7% also doesn't tell you that he passes up a bunch of wide open 3s for contested mid-ranges. Again, not the same case for Evans at all, but I don't think 3pt% is a good indicator of his 3pt shooting ability, especially when you factor how many he's actually taken.
With DSJ, I see him more as an all-around volume scorer than a prolific shooting scorer. More of a Westbrook-type scorer than a Lillard-type scorer. But I personally think he's a better 3pt shooter than Evans. Every shooter has a personal preference with ball placement, but sometimes Evans has the ball really close to his face, and it affects his release point. I think DSJ's mechanics are better with a higher release point, and quicker shot. With DSJ, I don't see any big problems with it, but I guess I'm more "ok" with his shooting inconsistency because the 3pt shot is actually a really big part of his game. He takes a lot of 3pt shots, and he makes them at an average rate of 35.9%. To add onto DSJ before I get off-topic, his ability to create 3pt shots is rare. He's not just a catch and shoot guy.

DSJ had 153 3pt attempts in his sole year, compared to Evan's 95 this year. 3pt shots only make up 20% of Evan's shots.
On a higher sample size, 40 attempts in his freshman year(out for last 10 games) vs. 95 in his sophomore year, his % dropped: 47.5% => 37.9%

I didn't call Evans a bad shooter, but I simply said he wasn't a good 3pt shooter yet. I would say that he has a 3pt shot, but it's not a big part of his game right now. I don't think it's a bad thing. He has a good form. He's a good FT shooter. He's a good mid-range shooter. There's nothing that makes me think he can't become a good 3pt shooter. Maybe it's a confidence thing for him? He loves to take a ton of shots at the rim, but hopefully he trades those lower % shots for 3pters.

In general, I see Evans as a good floor manager who can score if needed. I think a DC caliber player is definitely worth a 1st round pick in any draft. I see Evans as a 1st round pick.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#8
His shooting mechanics from 3pt is inconsistent, and he has a tendency to hesitate like DC. Jawun Evans has a very very small sample size for his 3pt shot and that's why I think his 3pt% is not an accurate indication of his 3pt shooting ability. Coincidentally, Collison let the entire NBA in 3pt%... Not saying DC or Evans are the same in terms of shooting, but DC's 41.7% doesn't tell you that he has one of the longest shot gathers in the entire NBA. 41.7% also doesn't tell you that he passes up a bunch of wide open 3s for contested mid-ranges. Again, not the same case for Evans at all, but I don't think 3pt% is a good indicator of his 3pt shooting ability, especially when you factor how many he's actually taken.
With DSJ, I see him more as an all-around volume scorer than a prolific shooting scorer. More of a Westbrook-type scorer than a Lillard-type scorer. But I personally think he's a better 3pt shooter than Evans. Every shooter has a personal preference with ball placement, but sometimes Evans has the ball really close to his face, and it affects his release point. I think DSJ's mechanics are better with a higher release point, and quicker shot. With DSJ, I don't see any big problems with it, but I guess I'm more "ok" with his shooting inconsistency because the 3pt shot is actually a really big part of his game. He takes a lot of 3pt shots, and he makes them at an average rate of 35.9%. To add onto DSJ before I get off-topic, his ability to create 3pt shots is rare. He's not just a catch and shoot guy.

DSJ had 153 3pt attempts in his sole year, compared to Evan's 95 this year. 3pt shots only make up 20% of Evan's shots.
On a higher sample size, 40 attempts in his freshman year(out for last 10 games) vs. 95 in his sophomore year, his % dropped: 47.5% => 37.9%

I didn't call Evans a bad shooter, but I simply said he wasn't a good 3pt shooter yet. I would say that he has a 3pt shot, but it's not a big part of his game right now. I don't think it's a bad thing. He has a good form. He's a good FT shooter. He's a good mid-range shooter. There's nothing that makes me think he can't become a good 3pt shooter. Maybe it's a confidence thing for him? He loves to take a ton of shots at the rim, but hopefully he trades those lower % shots for 3pters.

In general, I see Evans as a good floor manager who can score if needed. I think a DC caliber player is definitely worth a 1st round pick in any draft. I see Evans as a 1st round pick.
First, your reading old reports from his freshman year. He spent the entire offseason working on getting rid of a hesitation, that, number one, I didn't think was much of a big deal in the first place. So last season, he didn't have that tiny hesitation. Number two, He shot a better average than Smith PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Just what the hell do you want from him. He took almost a 100 three's and shot just under 38%. Smith took just over 150 three's and shot 35%. Now you can try and spin it anyway you want, but I watched both these guys play many times this year, and the player that was most consistent from game to game to game was Evans. Smith was hot and cold from game to game. There is nothing wrong with Evans shooting mechanics. His form is good, and his shot is effortless.

You don't have to find flaws in every other PG just to make Smith look good, and that's what it looks like your doing. With you, it's Smith, Smith, Smith. I get it, you love Smith. And, if he had played with the intensity that Fox, or Fultz, and yes, Evans played with, I'd be in love with him too. But he didn't!!!!!!!!!!! Your willing to overlook that, and I'm not. Doesn't mean I hope he fails. Quite the opposite, I hope he ends up being a superstar, and if he does, I hope he's in a Kings uniform. But right now, today, he put up some red flags that make me wary.

Edit: By the way, I spent a week of March Madness with a friend whose basketball knowledge I rank at the top of the list. During that week, we watched pre-recorded games of every player of note in the draft, especially PG's. At the end of the day, guess which PG had listed at the bottom of his list with no prompting from me. Yeah, you guessed it, Dennis Smith Jr.! He didn't like his effort on defense and didn't like his body language at times.

He came to the same conclusions I came to, without any influence from me. I do my best to see players for what they are, and not for what I want them to be. Are there other factors involved? Sure! If a player shoots 50% from the three, but only took 10 three's, I hardly consider that it makes him a good three point shooter. But if he takes 50 one year, and then 100 the next year, and averages over 40%, then yes, I consider that a good enough sampling to make a judgement.
 
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#9
Do you think the Kings will have a shot at Jawun Evans with our 2nd? Mocks have him going anywhere from 28-35.

Would you be willing to do something like Koufos/34 for Brewer/28? The Lakers don't really need another big, but they get to offload Brewers contract and get a cheaper pick that holds almost equal value.

This would allow the Kings to have a young PG core of DSJ/Evans or Ntilikina/Evans going forward.
I don't think he will be there that late and I don't think the Lakers even consider that deal.
 
#10
First, your reading old reports from his freshman year. He spent the entire offseason working on getting rid of a hesitation, that, number one, I didn't think was much of a big deal in the first place. So last season, he didn't have that tiny hesitation. Number two, He shot a better average than Smith PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Just what the hell do you want from him. He took almost a 100 three's and shot just under 38%. Smith took just over 150 three's and shot 35%. Now you can try and spin it anyway you want, but I watched both these guys play many times this year, and the player that was most consistent from game to game to game was Evans. Smith was hot and cold from game to game. There is nothing wrong with Evans shooting mechanics. His form is good, and his shot is effortless.

You don't have to find flaws in every other PG just to make Smith look good, and that's what it looks like your doing. With you, it's Smith, Smith, Smith. I get it, you love Smith. And, if he had played with the intensity that Fox, or Fultz, and yes, Evans played with, I'd be in love with him too. But he didn't!!!!!!!!!!! Your willing to overlook that, and I'm not. Doesn't mean I hope he fails. Quite the opposite, I hope he ends up being a superstar, and if he does, I hope he's in a Kings uniform. But right now, today, he put up some red flags that make me wary.

Edit: By the way, I spent a week of March Madness with a friend whose basketball knowledge I rank at the top of the list. During that week, we watched pre-recorded games of every player of note in the draft, especially PG's. At the end of the day, guess which PG had listed at the bottom of his list with no prompting from me. Yeah, you guessed it, Dennis Smith Jr.! He didn't like his effort on defense and didn't like his body language at times.

He came to the same conclusions I came to, without any influence from me. I do my best to see players for what they are, and not for what I want them to be. Are there other factors involved? Sure! If a player shoots 50% from the three, but only took 10 three's, I hardly consider that it makes him a good three point shooter. But if he takes 50 one year, and then 100 the next year, and averages over 40%, then yes, I consider that a good enough sampling to make a judgement.

It's ok if people don't view prospects the same way you do, doesn't mean your right or there right only time will tell. To be fair you've been bashing Smith on this site. Maybe Smith busts but there is no doubt more people around the league view Smith as a better prospect then Evans. Only time will tell who's right (could be you).

Don't take this the wrong way but we get it you watch a lot of basketball, we all do.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#11
It's ok if people don't view prospects the same way you do, doesn't mean your right or there right only time will tell. To be fair you've been bashing Smith on this site. Maybe Smith busts but there is no doubt more people around the league view Smith as a better prospect then Evans. Only time will tell who's right (could be you).

Don't take this the wrong way but we get it you watch a lot of basketball, we all do.
First, I don't call what I write bashing. I call it balanced. I've touted his talent over and over again. I pointed out that I had him third on my list for a good part of the year. And that I hope he's successful. I have no idea whether Ntilikina or Smith will be stars or not, or who will be the better player. If I were to base my opinion on talent alone, then I would choose Smith. If its bashing to point out how he seemed to quit on his team toward the end of the year, then so be it. I can't stand quiters, or players that choose to play hard when it suits their needs.

Can I guarantee you or anyone that Smith will be a quiter once in the NBA? No, of course not, and I hope he's not. But it was obvious to me, and NBA scouts, because I'm not the only one that's mentioned it, that he jsut didn't put out his best effort at times. Why, I don't know. But to me it's a red flag, not about what he's capable of, but about his desire. I've said many times that 50% of what makes any NBA player, or any player in any sport great, is between his ears.

This is the second time that someone has called me out in a similar way, so maybe I'm wrong, and I've outlived my usefulness here. To be honest, I'm tired of arguing with people, so I think I'm done...
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#14
This is the second time that someone has called me out in a similar way, so maybe I'm wrong, and I've outlived my usefulness here.
I'm going to go with "absolutely not".

You know, as much effort as I try to put into watching prospects, I can't put a candle to what you do. I didn't even get a chance to specifically watch Jawun Evans - at all - and I feel like if I can get two dedicated games for everybody projected in the lottery and one dedicated game (and hopefully some incidental stuff) for everybody in the first round, that I've done a solid job. But that leaves a lot of holes, and I don't always get that far. So I kind of focus on the top and I rely on folks like you to fill in the blanks in the second round, at least for guys outside of the Pac-12. Don't know what I'd do without you.
 

HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#15
This is the second time that someone has called me out in a similar way, so maybe I'm wrong, and I've outlived my usefulness here. To be honest, I'm tired of arguing with people, so I think I'm done...
I for one always appreciate your perspective. Your take on young prospects is informed and well considered. I love to see well reasoned conflicting views, for me that is one of greatest attractions to reading forums. If everyone agreed it would be bland and quite frankly not nearly as thought provoking.
 
#16
I don't know why, perhaps its almost identical size, but I think a slower Jonny Flynn when I watch Evans. Again I'm only going off a few clips I have watched so not a fair sample size and I try to avoid comparing players.
For what it's worth bajaden, I enjoy people coming with with trade ideas and good discussions on ways to improve this team especially via the draft. We are a bit of a blank canvass at the moment which is nice, it makes it more interesting to create. As much as I'm a fan of Cousins, I feel like we missed the opportunity to build a fun team around him so I like our current position.
Have a cup of chamomile tea or a good smoke or something and see you back here tomorrow.
 
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#18
First, I don't call what I write bashing. I call it balanced. I've touted his talent over and over again. I pointed out that I had him third on my list for a good part of the year. And that I hope he's successful. I have no idea whether Ntilikina or Smith will be stars or not, or who will be the better player. If I were to base my opinion on talent alone, then I would choose Smith. If its bashing to point out how he seemed to quit on his team toward the end of the year, then so be it. I can't stand quiters, or players that choose to play hard when it suits their needs.

Can I guarantee you or anyone that Smith will be a quiter once in the NBA? No, of course not, and I hope he's not. But it was obvious to me, and NBA scouts, because I'm not the only one that's mentioned it, that he jsut didn't put out his best effort at times. Why, I don't know. But to me it's a red flag, not about what he's capable of, but about his desire. I've said many times that 50% of what makes any NBA player, or any player in any sport great, is between his ears.

This is the second time that someone has called me out in a similar way, so maybe I'm wrong, and I've outlived my usefulness here. To be honest, I'm tired of arguing with people, so I think I'm done...
Baja, everyone on KF appreciates your presence, especially your draft knowledge. Smartest person here when it comes to drafts, and I always enjoy your inputs. We do disagree on a few prospects(agree on 98%), but I don't ever imply anything personal beyond kids playing college basketball. I think it's all fun in discussion, especially when you're trying to see it through the eyes of how other people evaluate talent. For me, scouting prospects is just a hobby I enjoy. I'm not a fan of college basketball at all, but I love watching players from play to play, and just thinking to myself, "wow, he'd easily be able to use that quickness and footwork to get himself open for 3s... if only his college C could set a decent screen!". I like seeing how you breakdown players and evaluate them.

I hope I don't come off as being hostile or even criticizing your knowledge. Never my intent. As you probably already know, most of the guys/gals who do in-depth scouting in the basketball world(like ourselves and a nice sum of others on KF) is a very tiny pool. In the end, this leaves very little discussion to be had. This is why I personally don't mind nitpicking the crap out of college players with you. I know you've watched them. I know you've seen a ton of tape. In the end, I'm interested in the things you see that I can't. 4 eyes are better than 2.

You're a great basketball mind. I hope you reconsider Baja.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#19
First, I'm humbled by your comments, and truly appreciative. I have a lot of things going on in my life right now, and I'm probably just emotionally tired. There are times when you get so caught up in the journey, that you forget where your going. So I think I just need a break for a while. It's been a hard year, and I'm not just talking about the Kings. Once again, thanks for your comments. I'll try and see if I can find which rock Bricky is hiding under in my spare time.
 

Warhawk

The cake is a lie.
Staff member
#20
First, I'm humbled by your comments, and truly appreciative. I have a lot of things going on in my life right now, and I'm probably just emotionally tired. There are times when you get so caught up in the journey, that you forget where your going. So I think I just need a break for a while. It's been a hard year, and I'm not just talking about the Kings. Once again, thanks for your comments. I'll try and see if I can find which rock Bricky is hiding under in my spare time.
Well, take the weekend off and we'll expect more of your awesomeness on Monday. Don't be late!

Seriously, as others have said your contributions here cannot be overstated. While I watch absolutely zero college ball, I find myself reading many of your posts on the college players just so I know what is going on when the draft rolls around. So thanks for keeping the most ignorant amongst us at least minimally educated on some of the players in the draft!
 
#21
First, I'm humbled by your comments, and truly appreciative. I have a lot of things going on in my life right now, and I'm probably just emotionally tired. There are times when you get so caught up in the journey, that you forget where your going. So I think I just need a break for a while. It's been a hard year, and I'm not just talking about the Kings. Once again, thanks for your comments. I'll try and see if I can find which rock Bricky is hiding under in my spare time.
Have a brewski or three and forget about whatever it is making you tired:)

We love you man:)
 
#22
Bajaden, I agree wholeheartedly with you re: Jawun Evans as a possibility IF we can get at our 8 pick or above a top PG or SF with our 1st pick or second pick. If not, then I think a Portland trade, our 10th for their 15/20th and 26th which could net us Evans and another quality SF (Anonoby, Tyler Lydon, Semi Ojeleye, Justin Jackson or Devin Robinson).

Of course, I would be estatic if we could move up and get Josh Jackson, and then either De'Aaron Fox or Jonathan Isaac. Then we wouldn't have to trade down. Then pick up a PG or SF with #34.

Bajaden, I've read your many posts re: college prospects and agree with almost all of them, so keep on posting. Much love from one old character to another!!
 
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Kingster

Hall of Famer
#23
I still think Divac's #1 objective is to trade into the top 3 to get Ball (or maybe Fulz), who won't be projects like Fox or Ntilkina. But if he can't wangle the trade-up, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if Divac targets Evans or another experienced college point guard lower in the draft. I don't think Divac really wants either Fox or Ntilkina, but time will tell on that.
 
#24
I still think Divac's #1 objective is to trade into the top 3 to get Ball (or maybe Fulz), who won't be projects like Fox or Ntilkina. But if he can't wangle the trade-up, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if Divac targets Evans or another experienced college point guard lower in the draft. I don't think Divac really wants either Fox or Ntilkina, but time will tell on that.
This is where we differ. As much as I like Ball, I have Fox as the 2nd best PG in this draft (Fultz is #1).
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#25
This is where we differ. As much as I like Ball, I have Fox as the 2nd best PG in this draft (Fultz is #1).
I do have Ball above Fox, but more importantly, I have Divac liking Ball above Fox. I think we can agree though that it all could very well be moot because it looks fairly unlikely that either Ball or Fox will be there when the Kings pick.
 
#26
I do have Ball above Fox, but more importantly, I have Divac liking Ball above Fox. I think we can agree though that it all could very well be moot because it looks fairly unlikely that either Ball or Fox will be there when the Kings pick.
That may be true, but let's wait and see where the Kings end up picking first.
 
#27
If Fox is gone before five I'm hoping for some kind of trade down that would allow us to get Evans. He's great in the pick and roll and with our young, athletic, skilled core of bigs that's a great talent for our point guard to have.
 
#28
If the Kings end up drafting a SF at 5 (Tatum, Isaac, or Jackson if he falls) and Fox, Smith & Ntilikina are all gone at 10 then a move to get Evans would be my hope.

Is he a starter level PG in the NBA? I don't know. But I think at the least he's capable of being a high level reserve and is currently underrated. Good shooter, good penetrator and very efficient in the pick & roll.
 
#30
If Evans is the only PG we get from this draft, then Divac and company failed epically
Maybe. If Fox is gone at #5 and people would prefer Tatum or Isaac to Smith then I don't see what PG is left at #10. Possibly Ntilikina but that's not a sure thing.

I think that (and going back and watching NC State games from early in the season - especially that monster Duke game) is pushing me towards DSJ at #5 if Ball, Fultz, Jackson and Fox are off the board.