Tyreke Evans makes the New Orleans Pelicans’ offseason complicated
By Nathan Heck
Tyreke Evans has always been a polarizing player for the New Orleans Pelicans, but his sheer presence on the roster this offseason makes things…complicated.
The New Orleans Pelicans have, in general, been happy to have the crafty combo guard, Tyreke Evans, over the past few seasons. Showing the ability to carry the team on his back for stretches, Evans has done more than many fans give him credit for during his time in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Tyreke Evans also makes this offseason extremely complicated.
In theory, Tyreke Evans can play three positions, point guard, shooting guard and small forward. In reality, though, he plays just one, ball handler. Regardless of where he makes is home on the floor, Evans needs the ball in his hands to make a positive impact. This limitation makes planning around him exceedingly difficult.
If Evans finds himself starting at point guard again, like he did this season, that almost necessarily means Jrue Holiday is sent to the bench once again, where he was extremely effective this season. If the Pelicans follow that course of action, though, Tim Fazier will almost certainly be the odd man out due simple fact that Toney Douglas and Bryce Dejean-Jones are much more capable off-ball scorers.
In this scenario, the Pelicans’ biggest priority is replacing the shooting of Eric Gordon at the shooting guard position, something the team would be wise to do in the draft. Without the spacing Gordon provides, the interior-centric game Evans employs would result in a bee hive within the arc.
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Going the opposite way and bringing Evans off the bench as the primary ball-handler presents a similar situation. The Pelicans would need to replace Gordon in the starting lineup, and Toney Douglas or Bryce Dejean-Jones would fill the slot next to Evans in the second unit. While these two scenarios may be the cleanest, in terms of personnel, it is hard to see the Pelicans objectively improving in either situation.
A more risky, but possibly more rewarding, option for the Pelicans is to start Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday. Evans would, necessarily, act as the de facto point guard, but the ball handling duties would likely be shared. This lineup would excel at attacking the defense in the pick and roll, but it would also create even more needs for the team.
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Sure, Tim Frazier and Bryce Dejean-Jones could be both receive valuable minutes off of the bench, but the Pelicans would create big problems at the small forward and power forward/center position. Quincy Pondexter was an effective shooter in his brief healthy stint for the Pelicans, but expecting him to remain that efficient is a pipe dream. The team would need to add a bonafide three and D player at the position in either the draft or free agency to make it work.
In the frontcourt, things become even more complicated. Anthony Davis can effectively space the floor, but parking your best player behind the arc is not a recipe for success. Omer Asik, with all of the range of a five year old shooting on a ten foot goal, would clog the works up even more than before.
Seemingly the only solution in this scenario is to slide Anthony Davis into the starting center position, which he has repeatedly said he does not want to do, and add a floor stretching four via the draft or free agency. Retaining Ryan Anderson is an option, but overpaying for the sharpshooter likely handcuffs the team in the future.
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There are no easy solutions when it comes to both fitting Tyreke Evans into the lineup and maximizing the talent on the roster. For that reason, it would not be surprising to see the divisive guard as part of a trade this offseason. Regardless of how the Pelicans handle the situation that presents itself, Alvin Gentry and Dell Demps (presumably) need to figure it out sooner rather than later.