Keenan Evans – 2018-19 G-League Player Profile

June 20th, 2019

Keenan Evans

PG/SG – 6’3, 190lbs – Born 23rd August 1996

   Delaware Blue Coats   

Fresh from being the lead guard on a Texas Tech team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight, Evans began his first professional season on the summer league roster of the Golden State Warriors, and was quickly picked up in mid-July by the Detroit Pistons on a two-way contract. However, Detroit saw fit to end it in January, and upon his return to the G-League a week later, the Grand Rapids Drive (Detroit’s affiliate) traded Evans to Delaware in exchange merely for the returning player rights to Shawn Long and Devondrick Walker. Given that Walker is a marginal GLeague talent and Long is already signed in Australia for next season, that is basically a giveaway. So what did Detroit once see that they no longer do?

Those Tech teams were built on their defence, and Evans was the main defender at the point of attack. Doggedly determined, Evans played with toughness when defending on the ball and has enough size at the point guard position to theoretically be a good defender at the higher levels. He does not have top tier athleticism or length, but he sticks with his man-to-man assignments and is a willing helper. Offensively, those Tech teams that were built with athletes who could not dribble relied upon Evans to do an awful lot of the shot creation, and his dogged nature shone through there once again. Consistently making tough shots, Evans will aggressively probe and drive the lane, collapse the defence, throw kick-out and dump-off passes in a sound if not spectacular way, and would welcome the challenge of trying to unclog an often-clogged floor. A big shot maker and clutch guy, Evans would always look to get to the basket, and although he would finish with dexterity rather than explosion, his step-backs, pro scoring sensibilities, sneakiness and relentless determination to be the lead guard was what Tech needed.

From an NBA perspective, Evans features to be neither a standout offensive nor defensive player. He is not the athlete required to be spectacular, and while he finds a good balance between scoring and creation, he excels neither as a shooter, finisher or playmaker. He instead is solid in all categories, defence included. Another G-League season to keep his name in the minds of the NBA would perhaps be a good idea.

– 20th June, 2019

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