Tyreke Evans is More Than the Layup King: He's the Layup God

I love it. Very well done.

I like how well the commentary tied in with immediate examples in the highlights. Usually these highlight reels seem like just a bunch of randomly strung together clips.

Thanks for the stats too. I had no idea.

Scores at the rim are the most efficient in basketball, and the fact that Tyreke can get so many of them is in part what makes him such a special player, especially when he’s doing it as a rookie

This is what makes Tyreke so very special. This is what will definitively make him ROY. This is what will make him a superstar, who some would argue he is already.

Tyreke averages 8.3 attempts at the rim, about .7 more than the player in 2nd place, LeBron James. More attempts and makes than every single big man in the league.

While I think that most of us wondered or suspected this, it is nice to get the confirmation. I also thought it interesting that LeBron James was second, as Tyreke is frequently compared to LeBron.

Very interesting that the only other player in the top 40 of attempts at the rim with less % of his makes that are assisted is Russell Westbrook at 21.2%. We all saw how great Westbrook played against the Kings.

There really won’t be a way to guard him unless you’re an exceptional man defender like Shane Battier.

 As you point out, Aykis, Battier was the only defender this season who effectively shut Tyreke down. Not bad – one guy in the league. As we saw last night, even Ron Artest couldn’t stop Tyreke.

These statistics to me are the most telling of the future, and of the current rookie of the year argument. No other rookie does something so good as to have entire opposing teams focus their entire defense on it. No other rookie demands this much respect.

This is powerful stuff. This is the kind of thing, which should be Peaches’ mantra. You might want to pass this along to Grant Napear.

Thank you Aykis.

But I was too lazy and that was that. My headline was going to be, “Tyreke Evans, Making Layups Badass Again”

how good he is when teams have literally started putting 4 guys in the paint to stop him penetrating because he has a weak outside shot…and he still drives and finishes. That move on Artest last night was incredible

I think it’s right to pull a Tom Zook and just say “THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”

is not just his ability to get to the rim, but his ability to get the ball in the basket. Even when his body seems a bit out of control and there’s defenders with their hands all around the basket, he zeroes-in on his target like a damn cyborg and puts the ball exactly where it needs to go. The perfect loft, the perfect angle, the perfect spin. Tyreke may not be the most eloquent speaker or even be considered to have a “high basketball IQ”, but I honestly feel like he understands the physics of a basketball, the actual ball, more than maybe any other player in the league. He plays like someone who hasn’t gone an hour without a basketball in his hand since he was 4 years old. I’d be surprised if his palms aren’t orange. He is the Ball Whisperer.

Imagine now if he’s able to shift his energy and focus into becoming as precise with shooting as he is with his layups. And as precise with his passing. Game over, league. Game. Over.

But I have to say that I was more than slightly amused that they showed this video at halftime after Tyreke had just missed two point-blank lay-ups.

It makes me wonder how awesome he can be in a couple years. He knows what he needs to work on; his shooting. That will make him incredibly tough.

Tyreke working on his conditioning and strength with a boxing trainer this offseason will also help his quickness and possibly his ability to play above the rim a bit more. Imagine Evans getting to the rim and being able to dunk in traffic. Adding that, along with a jump shot, will definitely put him into MVP conversation when it happens. Imagine a bigger Dwayne Wade.

He is certainly amazing now.

http://politicssportscuisine.blogspot.com/

Awesome read. Rec’d.

and he has a hell of a handle, but does reke even jump when he plays basketball? he seems like he just sort of dribbles, skips, throws the ball at the basket, and watches it go in. hes such a unique player, really fun to watch.

how does his stats compare to past rookies? I mean, if he is the league leader in attempts and finishes at the rim, in a league with Lebron and Dwight Howard, what other rookies in the past have done the same? WIlt Chamberlain?

I did notice a mistake though. You mentioned the player with the 2nd most attempts is .7 behind Reke. This is true, but it’s Zach Randolph, not LeBron. LeBron only attempts 6.7 shots a game.

Brandon Jennings playing like cat vomit in the 4th quarter in a collapse against the Clips – dominated by the immortal Steve Blake

How the hell has this Williams D-Leaguer from the Dubs not made the league until now?

Tyreke Evans is not yet old enough to drink I heard somewhere

this was a phenomenal read.

I think his lack of explosive jumping will allow him to maintain his game throughout his career. Guys like V.Carter, Crash, DWade, etc. have taken some really hard spills going to the rim because they rely on jumping ability whereas Tyreke has a credit card jump which allows him to absorb hits better because hes not out of control, flying through air.

I watched this Kings/Lakers game with a few non-Kings fan buddies. It is impossible for Tyreke to do anything wrong in my eyes (especially since he hasn’t been dominating the ball as much as of late). However, my friends were both saying that the video is essentially showing a bunch of slow-motion missed traveling calls.

Does this have any validity? I don’t think Dwayne Wade or Manu have ever been called for traveling and his inside scoring is similar to those two. Does Tyreke technically travel when he takes those huge steps before laying it up?

Yesterday, I was at the gym and just caught the tail end of a “T-Mobile” question for Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. It asks who the best PG is (among rookies) and lists several rookie PGs. Jennings, Curry, and Collision were among those listed (and a couple of others), while Tyreke Evans was not!!! Neither of these guys would say who they thought was the best among them, citing that it was too early to say. As I say, I missed the into to this question, so there may have been more to it. I couldn’t believe that Tyreke was not listed.

But I have to say, I find this part a bit disconcerting: “Another result of getting to the rim a lot is drawing fouls, something he’ll get even better at with more experience, and eventual ref bias.”

I don’t think it’s untrue, and is probably very likely to happen, but I HATE ref bias, even when it favors players/teams I’m a fan of. I know that it’s extremely unlikely that refs will ever be 100% impartial, but I just can’t stand the whole thought of “superstar calls” and the influence the refs can have on a game.