Tyreke Evans

[...] Take the Pacers, for example. They found $22 million over three years for the bench shooting of Doug McDermott, and gave Tyreke Evans $12.4 million for one year, yet needed only a third of that to get O'Quinn, a man not without his suitors. The one-year deals to both Evans and O'Quinn were deliberate - much like 2016, the summer of 2019 is shaping up to again be a free agency boon with more than half of the teams in the league having cap space, and players and agents are positioning themselves accordingly to capitalise. Only players getting at or above their perceived market value next summer chose to sign for more than one year, hence the outlier of the McDermott deal. Yet it is surely telling that Evans got nearly three times as much as O'Quinn. Evans is a very good player, but so is O'Quinn. One, however, has a more progressive, en vogue skill set. And can shoot. [...]

Tyreke Evans
SG/SF, 6’6, 220lbs, 27 years old, 8 years of experience

Back where he once shone, Evans shines no more, an oft-injured player who reached contract fill-in status with the trade that brought him back to Sacramento. On the court, Evans has finally begun to shoot from outside efficiently, with three-point shooting marks of 38.8% and 35.6% over the last two years coming in what have also been the seasons with the two highest three-point rates of his career. But the injuries seem to have robbed him of some of the finishing at the basket, which used to be the point of Tyreke Evans. He would always make bad decisions, stop the ball and be predictable in his intent, but he used to get to the rim and finish enough to make it worthwhile. So now he needs a run of good health and the opportunity to prove that he can still do that.

Player Plan: Entering unrestricted free agency with no momentum and a recent history of injuries. Back in Sacramento supporting Jackson could be a good place to try and rebuild his career, but it needs to come cheap.

Tyreke Evans – New Orleans Pelicans

Evans’ per game averages in all major statistical averages have gone down for four consecutive seasons. This is not to say he has declined over those four seasons – indeed, despite the worrying numbers dip, Evans’s play within a team concept noticeably improved last year, as did his efficiency. Nevertheless, after such a start, Evans’s career has rather stagnated, and not developed hugely since the lightning start to his career.

Evans had the rookie season that he did because he was given the keys to essentially do what he wanted. The offensive system, such that it was, allowed Tyreke to drive to the basket in isolation as often as he needed. And this, he excels at. However, not until recently did he develop much beyond this. The defense, which should be excellent, is rather average, and the shot selection is still imperfect. The jumpshot is improved, yet Evans is still much better with the ball than when playing off of it, and the latter of these is becoming more and more important as Evans’ star burns weaker and weaker.

As was the case with the Jrue Holiday trade, the Pelicans have paid something of a premium for a player who is merely above average. Evans is good, but he is not as good as his contract demands he be, nor is he a good fit for this team. Holiday and Evans need to somehow coexist with each other whilst also incorporating the incumbent Eric Gordon, who, despite looking worryingly Gilbert-Arenasy at times last season, earns the maximum salary and thus has to be made to be effective, whatever it takes. It can still work out for New Orleans and for Evans, but it relies on pseudo-stars becoming elite role players fairly quickly.

(It's also of note that, when we said it was a two player draft, we meant Rubio and Blake Griffin. Not Tyreke Evans and Taj Gibson.)