’Reke Earning National Attention
February 20, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson
Kings rookie standout Tyreke Evans, who is widely considered the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors, continues to draw immense acclaim around the League and across the country. The playmaking point guard continues to build on his incredible first-year run, and recently took his nation-wide attention to new heights by winning the MVP award during the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam at All-Star Weekend.
Among those who have praised Evans’ tremendous talent are NBA Hall-of-Famers, All-Stars and respected basketball analysts.
Following are several quotes and stories recognizing the substantial impact he’s made on the team and League just 54 games into his burgeoning career.
“I love Tyreke Evans. I’ve been a fan of his going back to high school. Just being there and seeing him on the circuit and seeing what he’s doing right now on that young team in Sacramento and how he’s carrying that team. I was fortunate enough to only play against him once this year, and he’s tough. For a rookie who had the ball in his hands at all points in the game and willing to take big shots down the stretch, that’s big. That makes a big statement in this league.” – Denver Nuggets forward and NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony on Evans.
“He’s playing great. The thing about it is, when you watch him play you don’t think of him as being a rookie. Not only a rookie, he’s a one-year guy in college. He’s mature beyond his years. His game speaks for itself. He goes out there, he gets you 20, not only can he kill you with the scoring, but he can get assists, and he rebounds. So, he’s the all-around player. He’s exactly what you want in a player. He’s a big dude. I think my first time playing him this year was in the preseason, and I didn’t know how big he was. When we played him, he was big and he was posting me up!”– Portland Trail Blazers guard and NBA All-Star Brandon Roy on Tyreke Evans.
“He’s been outstanding. The way he gets to the basket and really playing a great floor game and being a leader out there.”– Dallas Mavericks forward and NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki on Evans and the Kings.
“I think he’s having a fantastic year for a rookie. He’s having a good year for any player, period. Just to come in and play like he’s been playing so quickly, I think it shows a lot about how much he’s matured.” – Toronto Raptors forward and NBA All-Star Chris Bosh on Evans.
“He’s definitely my favorite rookie. He’s a great player. I love his demeanor out there, and I love his skill set, of course. He’s great. He’s making a great case (for Rookie of the Year). He’s strong. First of all, he’s so tall and he’s so long that he’s a nightmare for any other point guard to match up with. He’s a bull, he’s strong — you know what I mean? He puts his shoulder on you and he’s pretty strong. I think that he’s on the right path. I think that he’s doing a great job.” – Denver Nuggets forward and NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups on Evans.
“He’s been playing unbelievable, averaging over 20 points per game in the Western Conference where you’re going against (great players) every night. You have defenses trying to lock him down, and it’s not even affecting him. He’s doing well and he’s a tremendous talent. He’s tough, especially for me at 6-feet. A couple of times we played him, he took me to the post early and had me at two fouls early. He brings the best out of you when you play against him because he’s so good. It’s always a pleasure playing against him.” – Minnesota Timberwolves rookie guard Jonny Flynn on Evans.
“Tyreke Evans is a layup king, I swear. He’s strong. He’s going to be a phenomenal player.” – New York Knicks guard and three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Nate Robinson.
“He’s very tough. He’s 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, can do everything — score, pass, rebound — he’s just a great young player. He’s one of the only point guards who can make me look little.” – Utah Jazz guard and NBA All-Star Deron Williams on Evans.
“He’s good, man. He’s going to be one of those players who’s going to be good for a long, long time. We’re going to be talking about him for a long time. You could see it when he was in college, that he was going to be a good player. Now his game has transitioned to the NBA very fast.” – Miami Heat guard and NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade on Evans.
“Tyreke has had a great year. He’s playing as a veteran. He’s not a guy who’s going to play above the rim, but he can score, he can find the open guy and he’s definitely brought a lot of excitement to Sacramento. He is strong. He’s 6-foot-7, and he can play the point. He’s a big point and he understands the game.” – Dallas Mavericks guard and NBA All-Star Jason Kidd on Evans.
“Point guard in my opinion is the hardest position to play as a rookie… Tyreke has done an incredible job facilitating with very few turnovers, which to me is remarkable considering how much he’s had the ball in his hand.” – Kings legend and NBATV broadcaster Chris Webber on Evans, SLAMonline.com, Jan. 25, 2010.
“What Evans is doing right now, few people have done at his age. He is playing at a high level for a long enough period of time. You can do that the first few weeks of the season and then everybody starts to adjust, but he is still doing it and teams are scheming against him, trying to take the ball out of his hands. He is a very talented, gifted player, particularly in his ability to get to the rim.” – Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on Evans, CBSSports.com, Jan. 24, 2010.
“We had him in for a workout and you knew he could play, but we also knew he wasn’t going to get to us. I remember looking out on the court and he looked like a mini-LeBron.” – New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh on Evans, NYDaliyNews.com, Feb. 10, 2010.
“Watching him in college, you saw how talented he was, and you said, this guy’s going to be a good NBA player, but for him to step in the way he has, I think has been remarkable, because usually it takes time to go in there and start running the show. He’s so versatile. He’s so quick. You get up on him and can go past you. He really seems to be very mature player for such a young kid. I love the team (Kings). I love the excitement they have out there, and hopefully we’ll be back televising a lot of their games on TNT.” – TNT reporter Craig Sager on Evans.
Quiet Evans Letting His Game Do All the Talking
Read More.
NBA.com
Sacramento’s Evans Favorite As Rookie
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Commercial Appeal
King of Kings
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Huffington Post
Tyreke Evans is in a Class of His Own
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DIMEmag.com
Praise, Stats Put Kings Evans in an All-Time Coversation
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NBA.com
Evans Rising to New Level
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The Sports Network
Big Point Guard Takes Down Wolves
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Star Tribune
Kings Evans, Not Curry for Rookie Honors
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CSNBayArea.com
In the Bigs Spotlight: Evans, King of the Court
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Memphis Roar
Evans Has Fans in Jazz Locker Room
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Deseret News
Kings Evans Turning Heads Around NBA
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Sacramento Bee
Kids are Starting to Follow Chester’s Evans
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Philadelphia Daily News
Tyreke Evans’ Position is Just Awesome
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Jerusalem Sports
Tyreke Evans is the Real Deal
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Bleacher Report
Kings Guard Tyreke Evans Fuels Rookies to Rare Challenge Win
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ESPN.com
One Size Doesn’t Fit All for Rookie Guards Evans, Jennings
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USA Today
Knicks’ Loss to Kings Disappoints, But Evans Impresses
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New York Daily News
Tyreke Evans Is Difference-Maker In Defeat of Knicks
Read more.
SportsReporters.com
Evans Having LeBron-Like Rookie Season
Read more.
The Sports Network
King of Kings
Read more.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The above links and statements are a testament to the Kings point guard’s rare production and esteem, which is especially remarkable for a humble 20-year old. Sacramento’s floor leader may be young, but the distinguished respect he’s garnered is timeless.
Do you have a favorite moment from Evans’ exciting first season in Sacramento so far? We’d love to hear about it below.
TYREEEEEEEEEEKE Evans!!!! So glad you're a King Reke!
So you're telling me everyone in the country has Evans as ROY. Yup! Give him the hardware now!
Rubio who???? Man im glad the kings didnt get the first pick, they would have taken Griffin and some other team would have got the best player in this draft. Also Omri and Brockman, this has to be one of the best drafts for a team ever.
GO KINGS!!!!
I agree Kris. The Kings took the cake in the 2009 draft. Props to GP!
COOLREKE, he acts like a 10 year vet!
true dat!!!!!!!!!He's the obvious choice for ROY!No one else stands a chance!
Hey!Tyreke be aggresive!and get to the line!ROY
thats something to read for all those haters, GO REKE!!!!!!! ROY!!!
Every all-star practically has Evans as the ROY. That's saying something. A couple more games with this new-look lineup and it's going to be interesting to see how good they can be. Tough start against back to back games, but now a three game homestand, give us a chance to see its potential. Evans and Landry seems like it could be a real nice combo.
yeh..for now anyway.. the bigger he gets, so does the expected pay checks..that the maloofs will not pay..period.
the Kings always lacked a big named superstar, i hope Reke stays in Sac for his career, he can really be something. we should've traded Spencer Hawes though, he gives you one good game out of every ten games.
bash on spencer hawes more… he's avereging 10 points and 5 rebounds per game. that's alittle more then just 1 good game out of 10. Granted he could be sharper with more poise, but I promise you in the right system spencer could be one hell of a center….
Here's spencer's problem… He is soft, he doesn't go in against big men and bang in the paint, he's more of a stop and pop kind of center. But JT's no better at the five,
he may try to go in and bang in the paint but he drops the ball below his knees and has it batted away and stolen from him. If the two Kings big men could learn to play with their back to the basket if they want to dribble, and after they turn towards the basket, keep the ball above their chest, go in hard, and draw fouls, we'd see a huge improvement in the low post.
so proud of Ty!
and just think…the Kings FINALLY have a SuPerStaR!
So great that the Kings have Tyreke! Fun to watch and good for the team!
One thing I don't like about Evans is he holds the ball for to long at times. Other than that he has game.
Dude the kings should've pick up Dejuan Blair instead of Brockman. No disrespect to Brockman but Kings would've been the shit this year if the Kings picked up Blair. image Blair and JT in the paint getting boards and dominating the paint.
oh yeah thats HOt
Very true tony, but you still gotta be happy with brockman.