Thunderous Intentions
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OKC Thunder 2017 free agents point guard shortlist

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Jan 23, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the ball in front of Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) during the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles the ball in front of Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) during the first half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Free Agents
Mar 29, 2017; Kings guard Tyreke Evans (32)  guard Dante Exum (11). The Jazz defeated the Kings 112-82. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /

Tyreke Evans:

Looking back Tyreke Evans busted into the NBA and made pundits and fans alike sit up and take notice. His numbers suggested he would be a perennial All-Star one day, especially after he won the Rookie of the Year.

That may seem like a far fetched assessment, but Evans joined the illustrious company of Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and LeBron James. These four players are the only rookies in NBA history to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in their rookie season.

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Considering the next two highest-scoring players on that Kings 2009-10 team were Carl Landry and Kevin Martin, it speaks to Evans’ overall skills.

Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, and Evans also seemed to succumb to bad situations in Sacramento followed by numerous losing seasons in New Orleans.

Although it would be unfair to paint his journey to align with Derrick Rose there are similarities.  He’s one of those players, (when healthy) who offers so many intangibles and reminds fans of his potential. Still relatively young at 27 he enters free agency with something to prove. Evans returned to the Kings as part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade. As an unrestricted free agent, he now has the choice of where he wants to sign.

Most clubs will be antsy to offer a long term deal or large number based on his propensity to get injured. To wit, in his 8 seasons, the most games he’s played was 79 in 2014-15.  That said he’s only been able to get on the court for 65 games these past two seasons.

Risk versus Reward:

Therefore, if healthy Evans may be a player who Presti could take a chance on. Certainly, he can score either via driving the paint, from the field, or the perimeter. Moreover, his size and strength allow him to play either guard sport of small forward.

Interestingly, he shot poorly from deep in New Orleans (30 percent), but back in SacTown, he shot 43.8 percent. Why that’s interesting is he took more shots (3.4 per game compared to 2.7 as a Pelican). Being realistic, however, his career perimeter scoring is less than desirable.

Rather, this choice is more about Evans’ overall offensive ability. Suffice to say adding Evans in free agency would be considered a high risk versus high reward proposition. Signing Evans to a one or two year deal with a team option it might warrant the risk.

The overriding question to ask is could Evans give you more than Semaj Christon or another undrafted point guard? If your answer is yes, then Evans deserves a longer look.

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