Tyreke Evans:
Born: September 19th, 1989.
Number: 13
Height: 6'5.5"
Weight: 220 Lbs
Position: PG/SG
Yr's With Kings: 2009-2013 (four years)
How Acquired: Drafted 4th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
How Departed: Signed and traded to New Orleans in exchange for Greivis Vasquez. A deal that also sent Robin Lopez to Portland.
Tyreke Evans is one of the most popular players to play for the Kings, in the post Webber, Vlade era. Regardless of what you may think of him now, he exploded onto the scene, and the entire league took notice. The future suddenly looked bright. It appeared that the Kings had found a star on which to hang their hat. On December 1st, 2009, Tyreke was named the Western Conference player of the month. On December 21st, 2009, Tyreke led the Kings back from a 35 point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls. He single handedly outscored the entire Bulls team in the fourth quarter. On January 4th, 2010 he was named Western Conference Player of the Month for the second straight month. On Febuary 12th, 2010, he was named the MVP of the Rookie/Sophmore game with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. On march 11th, 2010, he recorded his first triple double with 19 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. At seasons end, he became the fourth player in NBA history to average no less than 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a game. Joining the elite company of Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Oscar Robertson. Finally, on april 27th, 2010, he was awarded the 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year award. Unfortunately, His rookie year would prove to be his best while with the Kings. Like any new player in the league, his weaknesses became exposed, and then exploited. Evans was one of the best ball handling players in the league, and his ability to finish at the basket was unequaled. However, it was his inability to shoot consistently from beyond the three point line that came under fire. He also became a man without a position as some questioned his ability to run a team from the point guard position. Considering that Tyreke had played small forward in highschool, and wasn't switched to point guard until his 11th game at Memphis, he was new to the position. As a result, over the next three years, he would play small forward and shooting guard along with time at the point guard position. At the end of his contract, the Kings were unwilling to pay the market price, and instead worked out a sign and trade with New Orleans. A deal that brought Greivis Vasquez to the Kings.
College and Pre Kings Career:
Tyreke attended the University of Memphis where he had been recruited by head coach John Calapari. Evans, who had played small forward in highschool, was switched to shooting guard at Memphis. He didn't make the switch easily, and struggled from the start. After 10 games, and perhaps prompted by an injury to Memphis starting point guard, Calapari started Evans at the point in game eleven. Evans responded by scoring 14 points, in addition to 10 rebounds and 8 assists. With Evans at the point, Memphis wouldn't lose another game that season until being defeated by the Missouri Tigers in the NCAA tournament. Evans was named Conference USA Rookie Player of the Week 8 times that season. It should be noted that as a highschool player Evans was compared to Tracy McGrady, was named co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic, and was named MVP of the McDonalds Highschool All American game.
Post Kings Career:
On July 10th, 2013, Evans was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign and trade that brought Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, and sent Robin Lopez to the Portland Trailblazers. Evans had a reasonably good year for the Pelicans although his minutes were reduced a bit, down from 31.0 mpg to 28.2mpg. While his scoring average remained close to the same along with his rebounds and assists, his shooting percentages, particularly his three point percentage ended up being a reversal of fortune. After shooting a promising 33.8% from the three his last season with the Kings, he shot a paltry 22.1% for the Pelicans. But he did have him moments. On December 30th, 2013, he hit the game winning shot with 1.2 seconds left in the game. On April 14th, 2014, Evans scored a career high 41 points in a 101-89 victory over the Portland Trailblazers.
Statistics With Kings:
2009-2010: 72gp - 37.2mpg - 20.1ppg - 45.8%fgp - 25.5%3pp - 5.3rpg - 5.8apg - 1.5spg
2010-2011: 57gp - 37.0mpg - 17.8ppg - 40.9%fgp - 29.1%3pp - 4.8rpg - 5.6apg - 1.5spg
2011-2012: 63gp - 34.3mpg - 16.5ppg - 45.3%fgp - 20.2%3pp - 4.6rpg - 4.5apg - 1.3spg
2012-2013: 65gp - 31.0mpg - 15.2ppg - 47.8%fgp - 33.8%3pp - 4.4rpg - 3.5apg - 1.4spg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyreke_Evans
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/evansty01.html