He went from having a rookie season on par with LeBron James to being banned from the NBA before the age of 30 and he’s had a pretty wild ride along the way. Today, I want to get into the confusing, eventful and ultimately disappointing career of Tyreke Evans…
*Listen to me dive into this topic and a whole lot more on this week’s episode of the Around the Arc podcast (below)!
Breaking on to the Scene
Evans was taken by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft which turned out to be one of the better draft classes in recent memory with guys like Steph Curry, James Harden and Blake Griffin all taken in the top seven.
But it was Tyreke who came out of the gate the quickest. He exploded on to the NBA scene and had a rookie campaign comparable to guys like LeBron James as well as Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and now Luka Doncic as these are the only guys ever to put up 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists as rookies.
At 6-foot-6, 220 lbs, Evans was an overpowering force at the point guard position. His relentlessness attacking the rim, ability in the open court as well as his passing and court vision helped him draw comparisons to the likes of LeBron and Dwyane Wade during his first couple of seasons!
However, injuries would slow him down in year two, along with a lack of development with his jumpshot and this would be the start of his first decline…
Kings of the Lottery
As Sacramento continued to bring in more young players, Evans’ usage rate and overall effectiveness continually decreased over his next few seasons, as guys like Isaiah Thomas started to get more opportunities.
He did add a semi-respectable three-point shot in year four but by this time, his usage rate was at the lowest point it had been in his first four seasons and he had also been moved out of position, being forced to play at the 2-guard and the small forward position which he can do, but his primary position is the point.
It then became clear that Tyreke needed a change of scenery…
A New Home, A New Hope
In the summer of 2013, Tyreke Evans was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans where he would get off to a slow start, adjusting to a sixth man role, but have an incredible end to the year in which he regained the same level of play he showcased in his first year, putting up 20 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists over the final 22 games, shooting 50 percent from the floor.
After a strong finish to his first year in New Orleans, Evans became the team’s starting point guard going forward, with Jrue Holiday moving over to the 2 where he would play more off the ball. This move paid off not just for Tyreke, who put together his second best full season since his rookie campaign (over 16 points, 5 rebounds and nearly 7 assists), but also for the Pelicans as a team, who made the playoffs for the first time in the Anthony Davis era.
Evans looked to carry this momentum into year three with the Pels where he seemed destined for a breakout…
The Injury Bug
But then Tyreke needed knee surgery which would cause him to miss the first couple of months of the 2015-16 NBA season and then, only 25 games after he returned to action, he would need surgery on the same knee once again, causing him to miss the rest of the year.
When he came back the following season, he just wasn’t the same player and New Orleans actually traded him, mid-season, back to the Kings where he started his NBA career.
The Bounce-Back
After a short and uneventful second stint in Sacramento, Evans signed with the Grizzlies before the 2017-18 season where he would go on to have an impressive bounce-back year and, arguably his best year ever. His box score numbers were similar to his rookie campaign as he put up 19 points, 5 boards and 5 assists but he also added a lethal three-point stroke to his arsenal, connecting on almost 40% of his triple tries on over five attempts per game.
Evans was so good for Memphis that year, they actually had to stop playing him since they were trying to tank. Almost everyone thought he would be traded to a contender at the trade deadline but nothing happened and Tyreke was essentially benched for the rest of the year.
One Last Dance
However, with the memory of his breakout year still fresh in their minds, the Indiana Pacers signed Tyreke to a one-year, $12 million deal.
He looked to be the offensive piece the Pacers needed to take the next step as a team but sadly, Evans regressed and had, arguably, the worst season of his entire career. His outside stroke was still respectable but it seemed like every other part of his game fell off a cliff, most surprisingly his finishing around the rim which had always been one of his greatest strengths.
On the plus side, he did make it into the playoffs for only the second time in his career but overall, it was a very disappointing season.
And that brings us to today where Evans has now been hit with a two-year ban from the NBA for violating their anti-drug policy. This is similar to what happened to O.J. Mayo a few years ago and since he has yet to be reinstated, this could very well spell the end of Tyreke Evans’ NBA career!