How Tyreke Evans Will Create Points for the New Orleans Pelicans

Today over at Grantland, Kirk Goldsberry analyzed the impact of Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Alvin Gentry on what the New Orleans Pelicans offense might be able to do this year. Things centered around how each of these men will be able to help Anthony Davis continue his earth-scorching ways and several things jumped out upon first read, including the astoundingly high number of close-range Evans misses that were rebounded by Pelicans players last year (47 percent).

Almost antithetically, though, his drives to the hoop are almost never preceded by a pass from a teammate. So he takes over, but then gives it up. A strange way to lead an offense, but one that has thus far been mostly productive for Tyreke, who is somehow now in his seventh season. According to Goldsberry, 15.3 percent of Pelicans shots last year were created by a Reke pass.

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These pieces of data are even more interesting now in light of comments made by Coach Gentry during Monday’s Media Day interview. If we’re being led to believe that Evans will be primarily a point guard, and one that is asked to work that position more often from the post, how will his best skills translate? We’ve seen guys like Kendall Marshall and Shaun Livingston transition to higher post-up rates in recent years, but neither of those guys were in Reke’s league as drive-heavy offensive focal points before their respective switches.

If Tyreke is settling in on the block for a few possessions a game, it seems like the Pelicans have to come in smaller, floor-spacing lineups. If Evans is going to be playing mostly as a stand-in starter in the lead guard spot to begin the season, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be posting up with Dante Cunningham and Omer Asik on the floor as spacing will be far too cramped for Evans to work effectively.

When he is sharing the floor with Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson, though, it makes perfect sense to manipulate the pull that Anderson and sudden sharpshooter Eric Gordon might have to then run actions centered around Evans and Davis.

Suddenly, plays like this become intriguing:

While I’ll admit I had never thought about them with AD and Evans in the place of Harden and Howard, but considering the skill sets of each, it makes a whole lot of sense if Gentry’s comments stay through the whole year. It shuffles the defense in a unique way, but still unleashes Tyreke to do his thing driving toward the hoop around a help defender. Picture that play with Anderson and Gordon’s defenders incapable of drawing too far inward, and Davis finishing it off. Not hard to imagine that wrinkle wreaking havoc amidst all else that defenses will have to focus on against the Pellies this year.

According to NBA.com’s Player Tracking statistics, Tyreke only had 1.4 touches per game begin within 12 feet of the basket. That’s not a lot to base predictions on, but considering, as Goldsberry did, how closely his production compares to that of James Harden, it seems trustworthy imagine Evans filling his role in the kinds of dump-off/deep pick plays that Harden has mastered with the bigs in Houston. He will need to rely more on precision and deftness with his passing this year to be effective in this role, meaning no more barging toward the hoop without a plan or whipping cross-court passes mostly blind.

If Evans can do all of this, and under Gentry I believe he can, the Pelicans will have something of which they had not even a little last year. And considering the advantage Evans will have as a point guard in most lineups, the numbers say it’s worth the risk.

Next: Check Out Other Evans Related Thoughts from a Roundtable Earlier This Summer

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