2013-14 Season in Review: Reggie Evans

2013-14 Stats:

24 GP, 20.8 MPG, 5.5 PPG, .527 FG%, 7.7 RPG, 0.7 AST, 1.0 STL, 1.3 TOV, 2.7 PF

Needs to work on:

• Stepping up his beard game to match Quincy Acy's
• Teaching the other Kings bigs how to set a proper screen
• Free Throw Shooting? I don't know, I feel like he would have improved this by now if he could.

Analysis:

When the Kings traded Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, it was largely viewed as a trade to merely split Thornton's large contract into two smaller (and hopefully more moveable) pieces.  Terry ended up not suiting up for the Kings and could end up never suiting up.  But Evans did, and he ended up being the starting Power Forward over the final 14 games of the season, proving to be a welcome addition to a team in need of solid veteran help.

Evans has always been one of the best rebounders in the league, and that continued to be the case in Sacramento, grabbing almost 8 boards a game in just over 20 minutes of action a night.  His 20.9% Total Rebound Rate was greater than even DeMarcus Cousins' rate of 20.4%, thanks to his knack for getting offensive boards.  He's simply a rebounding magnet, and when he was paired up with Cousins, the Kings became one of the best rebounding teams in the league.

Evans also brought experience and savvy in other areas.  He was easily the best (and some might say only) setter of screens on offense, and he displayed a surprisingly deft touch around the basket.  The word around Evans had always been that he was a huge negative on the offensive end, but in Sacramento, he was able to live off the few putbacks and touches he got around the rim, and thanks to his overall work, the Kings were slightly better offensively with him on the court (106.0 Off Rtg) than when he was off it (105.7 Off Rtg).

Evans also has had a reputation as a scrappy defender, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a good defender.  The Kings were basically the same defensively whether he was off the court or not, and in Brooklyn the team was actually worse on that end of the floor.  He's one of the worst shotblocking big men in the league, with just 3 blocks all last season.  In fact, over his entire career he has just 110 blocks.  By comparison DeMarcus Cousins has 289 over 4 seasons and he's far from what anyone would call a great shotblocker himself.

Evans is under contract at minimal cost for one more season, and I have a feeling the Kings will retain him thanks to the rapport he showed with Cousins and the need for a veteran presence on a young roster.  However I don't feel as if the Kings will be able to justify having him as a full season starter at PF, and that will need to be figured out at some point, whether through the draft, trade or free agency.

Tomorrow: Rudy Gay