Sacramento Kings Look to Shake Things Up
Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans (13) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha (2) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Bring Back Tyreke
Sacramento’s front office isn’t the only thing that will be shaken up this summer, and with the NBA Draft later today, the Kings have several decisions to make before the beginning of the 2013-14 season. They offered Tyreke Evans a qualifying offer to keep him in Sacramento early Tuesday afternoon, which would make Evans a restricted free agent and allow the Kings to match any offer Evans receives from other teams. D’Alessandro has been very optimistic with regards to Evans and his future in Sacramento.
While Evans has been criticized during this offseason, and several writers have said the Kings would be better off letting him go, these very same writers have speculated that Evans could still be a valuable asset to several other teams. Most of these writers have failed to truly assess the Kings new coaching staff and front office.
Evans had been forced into accepting roles as both a shooting guard and a small forward, as his previous coaches went away from playing him at point guard. Evans thrived at point guard in his rookie season. In his rookie season, when defenses had never seen him before and were unable to game plan for him; Evans continued to find success as opposing teams point guards are simply too undersized to guard him.
Evans ability to get to the basket is very well documented. When he forces teams to collapse or double-team him, he provides his teammates opportunities for better shots. Evans is a far better natural point guard than Isaiah Thomas, and has a natural ability to see the floor and distribute the ball. His ability to get to the basket and create scoring opportunities for his teammates is something Keith Smart never used to his team’s advantage.
Most teams, however, have made similar transitions, starting taller, more versatile players at the point guard position. Some have speculated that the Kings will not match high offers for Evans. But all hope on Evans shouldn’t be lost on Evans, If Malone and the Kings new ownership is looking for a natural point guard they should look any further than Evans, one of only four player to average at least 20 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds as a rookie. Evans did it as a point guard, averaging 5.8 assists.
Evans is more than capable of leading his team at the point guard position, and should be amongst the Kings top priorities this summer. If the Kings want to have a competitive team in the years to come, they should consider adding one or two more crucial players to the current mix without sacrificing players who could make the team stronger and more competitive.