2014-15 Season in Review: Reggie Evans

Some food for thought: Reggie Evans has played as many NBA seasons as Oscar Robertson. Not bad for an undrafted rookie back in the day.

The burly Evans carved out a 13-year pro career without flash or style but by doing the dirty work. On the Sacramento Kings, the 34-year-old big man stuck to the same formula and churned out a few impressive performances over 47 apperances. The highlight of Evans’ season came on November 30 when the veteran dropped a 17-point, 20-rebound show versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

Even when Evans wasn’t stuffing the box score, he led his floormates by example with his nose and aggressiveness to the ball. If the Kings needed a spark, they often subbed him in and hoped for the best.

Evans is an unrestricted free agent this summer after signing a three-year, $5 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets in 2012.

Strengths

If rebounding is an art, Evans’ game tape belongs in a museum. At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, he can play both power forward and center thanks to his extraordinary rebounding talents.

Last season, Evans corralled 6.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes a game. His 14.1 rebounds per 36 minutes placed above his career average, and his 4.6 offensive boards per 36 minutes matched his career numbers.

Evans generated offense out of thin air with his offensive rebounds, as 38.6 percent of his points on the year were classified as second chances. The big made his home in the restricted area, where he took 72.3 percent of his field goal attempts and scored 52.5 percent.

While the Kings called for Evans’ screens with less frequency than the season before, he remained an effective wall setter. When standing near the high post, laying screens was the journeyman’s moral duty.

Evans is a minus defender, but his strong hands are capable of swiping a steal or two. His 1.4 steal percentage was tops for any Sacramento power forward.

Weaknesses

While Evans shot a career-high 61.9 percent from the charity stripe this year, his offense outside the key was abysmal. Five feet or more away from the basket, the veteran went 2-for-21 on field goals for a 9.5 percent success rate. On 52 total jump shots, Evans made 15.4 percent. It’s no coincidence his 42.3 percent field goal percentage was the third-lowest of his career.

Evans’ struggles were magnified by his consistently questionable shot selection. On offensive rebounds he seemed compelled to force difficult put-backs, and he had a penchant for backing down defenders with no intention of kicking out to open teammates. Omri Casspi recorded the most assists from Evans with six, while Derrick Williams and Carl Landry each had five.

When Evans didn’t pass or shoot, he turned the ball over at an alarming rate. His 20.0 turnover percentage was worse than any King not named Andre Miller or David Stockton.

Defense was ugly as well for Evans, no matter what region of the floor. He allowed assignments to shoot 6.6 percent higher than their regular field goal percentage. Undersized for the frontcourt and laterally slow, opponents shot 9.4 percent better over Evans from behind the arc, and 9.5 percent better on looks within 10 feet of the hoop. The journeyman was a nonfactor at the rim producing 0.2 blocks per 36 minutes.

Simply put, Evans was a liability on both sides of the ball.

2015-16 Projection

Beyond the beard, you get what you see with Evans. Hard screens, a collection of boards and a wild shot or two. He’s defied Father Time so far, but declining athleticism will do him no favors at his current stature.

The Kings intend to overhaul their roster this summer, so it’s safe to bet that Evans will not return to his seventh NBA team. He’ll likely find a home somewhere in the association as an end-of-the-bench, use-in-emergency-type role he performed in Sacramento. This is the same league that employed a 37-year-old Kenyon Martin this season after all.

Cowbell Kingdom would like your opinion. How do you grade Reggie Evans’ season?

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This is part 11 of our continuing “Season in Review” series. Below are links to the first 10 articles.