Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans’ Play For The Future

Now as part of the Sacramento Kings, Tyreke Evans is back to where it all started for him and there’s plenty for him to prove from here until the end of the season.

When the Sacramento Kings traded away DeMarcus Cousins, the return was (rightfully) analyzed and picked apart bit by bit.

There was the centerpiece, the promising figure that could help the team down the road in Buddy Hield (along with their first- and second-round draft picks).  There was the intriguing flier who could help improve their guard depth in Langston Galloway.

Lastly, there was the veteran, whose expensive but expiring contract helped make the deal work financially in Tyreke Evans.  However, the Kings as well as their fan base are fully aware of who Evans is and know all about his abilities on the court.

After all, Evans started his NBA career in Sacramento after being selected fourth overall by the Kings in the 2009 NBA Draft.

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He burst onto the scene in his rookie season, averaging 20.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists per game, all of which helped him earned Rookie of the Year honors for that year.

But Evans failed to recapture the magic of his rookie year as those averages slid in his ensuing three seasons with the team.

Sacramento Kings

He then closed his chapter in Sacramento after the 2012-13 campaign after being a part of a sign-and-trade deal that saw him being sent to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Now Evans is back to where it all started and although he’s still very much the same player, with some minor changes here and there, things are a little bit different this time around.

Much of what defined his tenure with the Pelicans over the last couple of years were his injury struggles.  Following the 2014-15 season where he’s enjoyed his only, but albeit brief postseason experience, Evans has been limited to just 55 games across this season and last year.

The reason for that specifically has been his right knee, for which he has undergone surgery multiple times during that span in order to repair it.  For that reason, the hallmark of Evans’ game, his athleticism, has diminished quite a bit as a result.

There are times, though, Evans is capable of turning back the clock and showing flashes of the player that he once was on a regular basis.  The fans of Sacramento have already seen this with Evans upon his return to the city.

He’s even improved on some of the weaknesses that plagued him during his first go around with the Kings, with his three-point shooting being the most notable improvement (Evans is currently shooting better than 30 percent from deep for the third consecutive season).

While the whole “then and now” aspect has been the focus of his return to the Kings, there’s more at stake for Evans when you get past his homecoming.

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Evans’ aforementioned $11 million deal is set to expire following the end of this season, making him an unrestricted free agent.  With all of his injury troubles in recent years, Evans’ upcoming free agency comes at a curious time in his career.

Evans will turn 28 before the beginning of next season and what’s supposed to be the prime of his career has been anything but, again due to his many heath issues.

That’s where the rest of the season in Sacramento will very well prove what will likely be Evans’ last play for a big contract in his career.

Of course, earning a big, long payday is far from guaranteed at this point for Evans.  Teams will most certainly be scared of the red flags that he carries, not to mention his lowered ceiling as a player as an effect of his health struggles.

Trying to prove that he’s still the player he once was in a more limited role stands as a great challenge for Evans over the team’s remaining 20 games.

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The fact that we won’t know how much of an effect his play for the rest of the year will have on his chances in the summer only makes it that more uncertain.