Tyreke Evans Pre Draft Scouting Report on NBA Draft.com

Purple Reign

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http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tyreke-evans

From 5/28/09. Whoever wrote this was spot dead on right about Evans. Text that is in bold and my comment in Purple is where I think Tyreke must, must, must either improve on or upgrade for 2010-11.

Strengths: An extremely smooth and talented guard … He has an incredible wingspan, with a very strong and mature body … Has proven that he is able to play as a lead guard, but his natural position seems to be as an SG, where he can still be a facilitator, but can look to score more often (I agree that Tyreke is a Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant type combo guard that needs a Derek Fisher, Andre Miller type running mate. However Tyreke is the playmaker regardless where he is - P.R.) Loves playing at a fast pace, where he doesn't have to worry about play calls but can rather create on the fly … Puts constant pressure on the opposing team with his aggressive style … Plays with an edge and cockiness that will help him succeed … Was thrown into the thick of things from the beginning and he responded with a very nice freshman campaign … Playing in a spread offense that is predicated on ISO plays, he has proven that he can break down people off the dribble and get into the lane … His vision and passing are extremely advanced, and he's shown that he can be a reliable distributor (Can be better; seems to have a little tunnel vision with exclusively going to the basket. Let's move the ball around a little - P.R.) Possesses deceptive quickness and has a variety of crafty moves with clever footwork that allow him to get by defenders … Has a nice repertoire of counter moves, whether it’s a crossover, spin, in& out or behind the back dribble … In traffic, whether in the half court or in transition, he is very steady and comfortable with his dribble … Even though he rarely finishes above the rim, he has a great touch around the basket (I think he needs improvement in that area; it will come with strength and experience. - P.R.), and uses his body and finesse to convert on a good percentage … Defensively, he has great hands and his wingspan allows him to get deflections at a high rate …

Weaknesses: His jump shot has shown very little progress and he continues to struggle with inconsistent shooting … Most of his shooting woes can be directly pointed at his unorthodox release … He slings the ball from behind his head, losing sight of it completely at the point of release …(I believe his release point has dramatically improved; however if Evans is to be the superstar we all believe he will be, he must make 750-1000 jump shots a day this summer and come back next year locked and loaded. He can add 4 to 6 points per game with a good jump shot - P.R.)

Must improve his midrange game, his pullup lacks rhythm, often leaving him off balance with varying results …
(he must either STOP OR PERFECT the natural, cute, off the back foot, off balance, fade away that he uses with every jump shot in order to create separation - P.R.)A bit of a tweener at this point, does not have the blazing speed or quickness to play as a PG full time, and lacks the vertical explosiveness possessed by the wing players …(NOT TRUE!!! Tyreke has enough explosiveness over the rim - P.R.) A decent athlete with an unreliable outside shot (a combination that is not ideal for the next level), he will have to rely on his deceptiveness and crafty game off the dribble to get by defenders … Has always had the ball in his hands and been allowed to operate freely, will he be able to adapt and still be effective playing off the ball and does he know how to use screens or how to work in a traditional half court set? ...(If the Kings do not demand that Evans learn how to master the pick and roll set, this team is doing him a disservice. To me this is the greatest weakness in his game. Mastering the pick and roll is key for any perimeter playmaker - P.R.) Is still prone to tunnel vision, where he seems to forget about his teammates … Defensively, he is a bit lackadaisical, and while he does have long arms, because of questionable lateral quickness he will have to work extremely hard to contain the ball on the perimeter …(NOT TRUE!!! Tyreke is a good on the ball defender and will get better - P.R.)

The 3.6 TOs per game are a result of both the system he was in, and his out of control play … Needs to learn to pick his spots better, rather than attacking into traffic and getting into trouble …(LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN!!!:eek:, this is spot on dead on accurate - P.R.)
 
I think we have a gem in Tyreke Evans not trying to re-iterate the obvious. In the 25 year history of the Sacramento Kings, never has so much been placed on somebody so young and so talented. And I am a firm believer of reading between the lines. Which means that reality is never face value in the black words on the pages, it is in the white space in-between. We will see 'Reke's true value and worth between May and October than we ever will during the season.

I hope that his inner circle and Tyreke Evans is ready to go to work, because the real work is in the Summer.
 
Tyreke would be so awesome if he can develop anysort of a consistent jumpshot.
If he develops a jumpshot, he becomes alot more like his idol in Penny...hopefully he isnt satisfied with what he has accomplished this season and wants to work on becoming elite.
 
Loves to play at a fast pace?

Remember he was doing a critique of his college game. He did play at a faster pace in college. Some would say an out of control pace at times. I think he's slowed the ball down because he's learning how to play a more controled game and run halfcourt sets. In other words he's having to think about what he's doing instead of just reacting to whats there.
 
And the fact that he's been having to think a lot more than just having a natural reaction to the game is what's most impressive about his game. This next summer is gonna do wonders for his game.
 
I enjoyed the mixture of pique, defensiveness, and damning with faint praise that went into that draftexpress piece as they implied that Reke was lazy, selfish, and lucky to be playing for such a **** team that they would let him get away with...um...unclear on that part and falsely annoint him a superstar. It was nice of them to admit at the end that at age 20 he might even still be able to get a little better, except of course that he's inevitably going to get swell headed.
 
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Evans isn't the most fundamental player in the draft. Tends to force the issue when playing PG which leads to unforced turnovers. Overall it's tough to find weaknesses in Evan's game being that he is one of the most talented players in this years draft.

This was a snippet of what I had written about Evans in the middle of his Freshman year.
 
I agree that Tyreke is a Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant type combo guard that needs a Derek Fisher, Andre Miller type running mate. However Tyreke is the playmaker regardless where he is - P.R.

This is what I've been saying for awhile now (since before KMart came back)... Evans is a combo guard a la Kobe, Jordan, and Wade. That's just the TYPE of player he is... not saying he's as good as those guys. But when you look at who these guys won championships next to you see Jordan with Paxson and Kerr, Wade with Jones, and Kobe with Fisher. These guys are all pg's who don't need the ball a lot and are lethal 3 point shooters... this is why we play so much better with Udrih starting, because he's the closest thing we got to that type of player.
 
This is what I've been saying for awhile now (since before KMart came back)... Evans is a combo guard a la Kobe, Jordan, and Wade. That's just the TYPE of player he is... not saying he's as good as those guys. But when you look at who these guys won championships next to you see Jordan with Paxson and Kerr, Wade with Jones, and Kobe with Fisher. These guys are all pg's who don't need the ball a lot and are lethal 3 point shooters... this is why we play so much better with Udrih starting, because he's the closest thing we got to that type of player.


In fact, a point guard that doesn't need the ball, isn't really a point guard is he? He's really a shooting guard in a point guards body. Its all semantics..
 
In fact, a point guard that doesn't need the ball, isn't really a point guard is he? He's really a shooting guard in a point guards body. Its all semantics..
Sure, offensively... the only difference would be on the defensive end. But yeah, I'm really not concerned at all about the semantics of the thing... just the type of player that's the best fit in the backcourt with Reke.
 
This is what I've been saying for awhile now (since before KMart came back)... Evans is a combo guard a la Kobe, Jordan, and Wade. That's just the TYPE of player he is... not saying he's as good as those guys. But when you look at who these guys won championships next to you see Jordan with Paxson and Kerr, Wade with Jones, and Kobe with Fisher. These guys are all pg's who don't need the ball a lot and are lethal 3 point shooters... this is why we play so much better with Udrih starting, because he's the closest thing we got to that type of player.


That's about right, and you also see Jordan and Kobe with Ron Harper, who I think is the real model for what we should be looking for, and kind of have on a much lower level with Cisco.

In either case its no shocker, or shouldn't be, that Beno and Cisco fit much more smoothly back there than did Kevin or then would a ball dominant PG.
 
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Remember he was doing a critique of his college game. He did play at a faster pace in college. Some would say an out of control pace at times. I think he's slowed the ball down because he's learning how to play a more controled game and run halfcourt sets. In other words he's having to think about what he's doing instead of just reacting to whats there.

I think it's that and he likes fast breaks. He's great in the open court.
 
That's about right, and you also see Jordan and Kobe with Ron Harper, who I think is the real model for what we should be looking for, and kind of have on a much lower level with Cisco.

In either case its no shocker, or shouldn't be, that Beno and Cisco fit much more smoothly back there than did Kevin or then would a ball dominant PG.

You may be right about the ball dominant thing. But do a thought experiment here and imagine CP3 (ball dominant) and Tyreke in the backcourt. How do you envision that? Do you see Tyreke going to the corner while CP3 does his thing? Or do you see CP3 getting the ball to Tyreke where Tyreke can dribble drive, cut to the basket, or do post ups? (Also, where Tyreke drives to the basket and finds CP3). When I think about the Martin experiment, that SHOULD have worked, at least on offense. Ball dominant non-outside shooting Tyreke with non-ball dominant outside shooting Martin. Perfect complement. Didn't work though. Why? Maybe it's the simplest answer possible: Martin isn't that good. At least he wasn't that good on the Kings. We can all debate why he wasn't good (his crushed ego?), but bottom line, he wasn't that good. So getting back to the simplest answer of all for a very good complement to Tyreke: A very good guard, period.
 
Tyreke would be so awesome if he can develop anysort of a consistent jumpshot.

Yes, he will need to work with shooting coaches and put up 750-1000 shots a day during the summer to obtain a consistent jumper. If teams had to play him tight for the jumpshot, his slashing/driving to the rim will only become more effective. He DOES need to learn to use the pick and roll, and when he does learn how to effectively score and pass off the pick and roll he will be a handful for anyone to stop.

I believe Tyreke is a Superstar in the making. All his deficiencies are correctable. But he has to want to put in the work this summer to get to where he wants to be. Look at how much he has been able to accomplish at 20 years old with a questionable jumper ??? If he just had a consistent set shot he would score 20-25 every night. He is WAY ahead of other rookies on the defensive side of the ball. He is nothing short of amazing on defense. Hopefully the ROY trophy will drive him to strive for more!!
 
(I agree that Tyreke is a Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant type combo guard that needs a Derek Fisher, Andre Miller type running mate. However Tyreke is the play maker regardless where he is

Yes, as roasthawg said this is why he plays so much better with Udrih starting at the point.

I have been thinking this for a while. Kobe needs Fisher as a PG and they work out great together. Tyreke is doing great with Udrih starting with him.

For a while I was hoping that we could trade him for a bag of potato chips, but now I hope he doesn't get traded at all!
 
You may be right about the ball dominant thing. But do a thought experiment here and imagine CP3 (ball dominant) and Tyreke in the backcourt. How do you envision that? Do you see Tyreke going to the corner while CP3 does his thing? Or do you see CP3 getting the ball to Tyreke where Tyreke can dribble drive, cut to the basket, or do post ups? (Also, where Tyreke drives to the basket and finds CP3). When I think about the Martin experiment, that SHOULD have worked, at least on offense. Ball dominant non-outside shooting Tyreke with non-ball dominant outside shooting Martin. Perfect complement. Didn't work though. Why? Maybe it's the simplest answer possible: Martin isn't that good. At least he wasn't that good on the Kings. We can all debate why he wasn't good (his crushed ego?), but bottom line, he wasn't that good. So getting back to the simplest answer of all for a very good complement to Tyreke: A very good guard, period.

I wouldn't really agree with Martin not being ball-dominant. True, he does, or at least did score a lot on backdoorcuts and such, but for the past few years he has been doing most of his damage with the ball in his hands, driving to the basket and drawing fouls/free throws. This is also why I'm a bit sceptical about him being as good a fit for Houston as people think, although of course Rick Adelman should be the one coach most capable of leading him back to his original game a bit.
 
WHAT IF Evans is such a special player that he cant be compared to any player or any kind of player. What If Evans is his own unique mold. Has anyone considered this? So far this is the path that hes taken.
 
I wouldn't really agree with Martin not being ball-dominant. True, he does, or at least did score a lot on backdoorcuts and such, but for the past few years he has been doing most of his damage with the ball in his hands, driving to the basket and drawing fouls/free throws. This is also why I'm a bit sceptical about him being as good a fit for Houston as people think, although of course Rick Adelman should be the one coach most capable of leading him back to his original game a bit.

Martin isn't ball dominant, he's player/play dominant. Martin doesn't demand the ball for 20 seconds out of the clock, but he does demand that the team run multiple screens, back door cuts and pop outs. This means players crowding the floor, crowding the space tyreke needs to operate. If not for those plays, Kmart wants an iso, which renders Tyreke absolutely useless since he has zero shot.
 
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