As the New Orleans Pelicans enter a pivotal season in their potential progression to a playoff team, swingman Tyreke Evans appears to project as a reserve.
The good news is that if Evans comes off the bench for your team, your roster is pretty talented.
The bad news is that Evans has shown that he is a much better player as a starter.
Evans’ first season in New Orleans was filled with adjusting to a new team and adapting to a new role off the bench that he still may not be fully comfortable with. After a season marred by injuries and inconsistency for both Evans and his Pelicans, Evans discussed his health, his role with the team and how he looks to improve his game in a one-on-one interview with SheridanHoops.
New Orleans finished 34-48 in came in last place in the Southwest Division last season, possibly the toughest division in the NBA. Injuries were a serious factor as the Pelicans had nine players start at least 20 games last season, tied with Cleveland and Milwaukee for the highest total in the league.
That lack of continuity seemed to have impacted Evans, who admitted that coming off the bench forced him to adjust his game and his body to not starting for the first time in his career. It showed in the numbers. When Evans started, he was a much better player and New Orleans was a more successful team.
| Tyreke Evans | Games | Minutes | FG % | 3 FG % | Points | Rebounds | Assists | True FG % | O Rating | D Rating |
| Starter | 22 | 35.3 | 49.6 | 32.5 | 19.9 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 56.4 | 110 | 113 |
| Bench | 50 | 25.0 | 40.0 | 14.5 | 12.1 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 46.8 | 100 | 109 |
Evans’ numbers as a starter were similar to his historic 20-5-5 debut season with the Sacramento Kings, stats he has not approached since. And they were more than just numbers.
New Orleans was 11-11 when Evans started and 21-29 when he came off the bench, and the stats make it pretty clear why that occurred. His field goal percentage was nearly 10 percentage points better overall and a gargantuan 18 percentage points better from 3-point range. His overall plus-minus became much more manageable per 100 possessions for a bad team and his offensive efficiency as a starter was markedly better.
So why the huge discrepancy?
“I think I’m just more comfortable starting,” Evans told SheridanHoops in a phone interview. Just getting his reps in early and getting assists and rebounds at the beginning of games helped his confidence and finding an overall rhythm.
Evans had a knee injury that cost him 10 games over the course of the season, including a February loss at Brooklyn when he was benched by coach Monty Williams.
At the time, Evans told SheridanHoops that he and Williams had not discussed what role would be best for him on the team and that the communication between the two could be better, to say the least. Now, Evans said, things are good between player and coach.
“I don’t think it was much of a problem as people thought it was,” Evans said.
Williams, currently an assistant for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in Spain, challenged Evans to push himself on both sides of the floor and become a better team player. Evans said he would embrace that challenge, even if that includes coming off the bench.
Tyreke Evans meeting with local kids from Chester. Photo by Talyr Williams
“I don’t think it was a bad idea,” Evans said of playing with the second unit. “I just had to grow comfortable with it.”
Based on the Pelicans’ improved talent, Evans could have to grow comfortable coming off the bench yet again in his second season of a four-year contract that will pay him $11.27 million in 2014-2015. With Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon seemingly entrenched in the backcourt and Anthony
Davis pairing with newly acquired center Omer Asik up front, Evans would have to beat out a healthy Ryan Anderson for a starting spot.
This is all assuming Evans is healthy. While he said his goal was to be 100 percent by the start of the regular season, he said his knee still aches a bit when he works out. Evans is taking the necessary steps in the weight room and the treatment room to get back to optimal health, he said.
Though Evans said he enjoys living near Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, and the great food and nightlife that comes with the Crescent City, Evans spent the first week of September in his hometown of Chester Pa., working with VSP Vision Care to give back to the community. Evans provided free eye exams and glasses for children in the area who are in need, something he really prioritizes and enjoys doing.
In addition to Asik and Salmons, New Orleans also added Jimmer Fredette, Evans’ former teammate with the Sacramento Kings. Fredette is someone Evans is specifically looking forward to playing with. Evans also said that Asik should help him in the pick-and-roll and on defense, where Evans could use some work.
Another area in which Evans could use some work? His shooting. Evans shot 43.6 percent from the field last season and just 22.1 percent from three, the second lowest marks in his five-year career. Just look at all the red numbers – indicating below league average – in his 2013-2014 shot chart:
During the offseason, Evans said he worked with one of the New Orleans assistants to help him regain confidence in his shot. Evans stressed getting better looks in transition and shooting with a purpose and in rhythm. Evans and the Pelicans staff worked on his natural form, with no hesitation in his shooting motion. The goal, Evans said, is to just be comfortable shooting and more confident.
The ultimate goal for player and team? “Just to go out there and try to play the game to my capabilities,” Evans told SheridanHoops.
Evans has yet to make the playoffs in his five seasons and thinks that if the team remains healthy, it has enough talent to reach the postseason, even in the loaded Western Conference.
“I don’t see why not with the pieces we have,” Evans said.
Evans is still not sure what his role will be next season, but it seems like the Pelicans would do better if Evans was in the starting five. With pressure on management to win now, it seems like the Pelicans could use every advantage they could get.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. You should follow him on Twitter.