Tyreke Evans is one of the star players the Sacramento Kings are counting on as they attempt to restructure the franchise and bring it back to its winning days.
The Kings have a few good players on the roster who can help them achieve their objective, but Evans and DeMarcus Cousins clearly lead the pack.
Evans had the best possible start to his NBA career that a player can want, averaging 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists and winning the rookie of the year in the 2009-2010 season. At that point, it seemed like Evans would
develop into a franchise leading player who would take the Kings to the next level. However, over the next two seasons, Evans struggled with injuries and failed to further develop his game, particularly his jump shot. That led to him becoming a one dimensional
player who was quite easy to defend. Last season, Evans averaged 16.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Incidentally, in the upcoming season his contract extension season is due. He will enter the fourth year of his rookie contract with the Kings, and will be eligible for either a contract extension or a new contract. It is this
contract which actually earns the players their first big bucks, since the rookie contract is not that big and fairly equal for all.
However, Evans realizes that he needs to develop his game and come out a better player next season if he wants an extension with the Kings.
“I’ve been receiving a lot of criticism about not being healthy and not playing like I did my rookie year. I just want to come back this year and show people I’m still here and that I haven’t lost a step,” said Evans while talking
to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Evans main issue is his inability to develop a consistent jump shot, leaving him with no option to rely on penetration and drives. That is easy to defend for opponents, who cut off his driving lanes and make him less dangerous.
If he can develop a consistent jumper, it would completely change his game, giving him another arsenal and probably a big pay day.
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