Reviewing Tyreke Evans' second season in New Orleans
With his second season as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans in the books, Tyreke Evans remains a polarizing basketball player. His talent is undeniable—a driving tilt-a-whirl who gets to the basket at will—but so are his flaws.
Evans launched a career-high 227 three pointers this year, but only made 30.7 percent of them. He needs the ball in his hands, can't space the floor and is only a so-so defender. From the TrueHoop Network's Pelicans blog Bourbon Street Shots, here's more on the year Evans just had, particularly his ability to play through pain:
"Tyreke Evans missed just three games this year, despite being listed as “questionable” on the Pelicans injury report over 20 times. Knee and ankle issues plagued him all season, but he fought through all of those issues and played the most games and minutes for the Pelicans this season. For Evans, it was a career high in both games and minutes, and the Pelicans needed every single ounce of effort he gave them to make the playoffs."
Evans is under contract the next two seasons on a team-friendly rate. He's also only 25 years old, which means there's still room for improvement. The combo guard isn't perfect, but Evans showed this year that he's one of the most important building blocks New Orleans has beside Anthony Davis.
Overall, it was a step in the right direction.
(h/t: Bourbon Street Shots)
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports
