Tyreke Evans vs. Stephen Curry: Rookie of the Year Tale of the Tape

The Rookie of the Year race has had its up and downs for both of these Californians.

Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry had a tough start in the league, but once they got hot, many teams have had a tough time stopping them.

I made five criteria in order to determine who I think has the edge right now. I based my decision on scoring, defense, rebounding, passing, personality and leadership. Count how many edges each player has to determine the winner.

Scoring

Scoring
Stats

Evans: 20.3 points per game on 46% FG shooting and 26% three-point shooting

Curry: 16.0 points per game on 46% FG shooting and 41% three-point shooting

Yes, it is rare to find a rookie who averages 20 points per game. Tyreke bullies his way into the lane and manages to find a way to score on a majority of his possessions.

However, Evans gets an inordinate amount of shots per game (16) for a rookie. With that many attempts, some would argue that Evans is taking too many shots and is capable of becoming a more efficient and well-rounded scorer. This looks to be scary for the future.

Curry, who is averaging fewer points per game right now than Evans, is the smarter and better scorer here. His three-point shooting is off-the-charts good and can only get better as the years go on.

His assassin's mentality reminds me of Kobe Bryant. Not saying that Curry will ever be anywhere near the player that Kobe is, but he's already a lethal scorer. It's not about the quantity in this case, it is about the quality.

Defense

Stats*

Evans: 0.4 blocks per game and 1.5 steals per game

Curry: 0.2 blocks per game and 1.8 steals per game

*For those of you who saw the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this weekend at MIT, you know that defensive stats barely exist and blocks and steals only count for a small portion of defense.

While Evans does not have blazing quickness, he makes up for it with his 7'2" wingspan. He's proven that he can be a lockdown defender as well as an all-star caliber player. In a recent game against the Utah Jazz, Evans held Deron Williams to four of sixteen shooting and forced five turnovers.

The defense that Evans already possesses is the reason why people see him as having superstar potential. He'll be a great all-around player.

As for Curry, defense is not necessary in Oakland. Don Nelson's up-tempo offense allows Curry to lag on defense. Curry has shown he a better defender than scouts thought since he has such a slight frame.

His basketball I.Q shows when he is guarding elite guards. He studies tape of Kobe Bryant which enables him to be a better defender than some would expect.

Edge: Evans

Rebounding

Stats

Evans: 4.9 rebounds per game, 0.9 offensive rebounds per game.

Curry: 4.2 rebounds per game, 0.5 offensive rebounds per game.

This is an awfully close race. Considering Curry is only 6'3", Evans should be averaging a considerate amount more than Curry.

However, the numbers do not lie. Evans has gotten more rebounds than Curry. His big frame allows him to box out smaller guards with ease. As for Curry, it is all about timing in his case. Knowing where shots will hit off of the rim is just as important as having the ability box out.

Slight edge: Evans

Passing

Stats

Evans: 5.4 assists per game.

Curry: 5.4 assists per game.

This is yet another tight race since they average the same amount of assists per game. The edge has to go to Curry for two reasons.

First off, Curry often plays off of the ball with Monta Ellis on the court. It is fairly amazing that Curry has been able to dish out to amount of assists as he has off of the ball.

Second, Curry's court-vision is quite good for a guy who did not play point guard for his entire career.

Evans on the other hand dominates the ball, primarily because he is the official point for the Kings.

His numbers are not as impressive considering he could be doing more with the ball rather than shooting. Many critics often call him a ball-hog as well.

Slight edge: Curry

Personality and Leadership

No Statistics available

Curry has been a leader ever since the his days at Davidson and has been motivated to become great since top colleges did not recruit him. He's a nice kid, willing to do an interview with nearly anyone. He's been raised well by his father, ex-NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry.

Nevertheless, this edge has to go to Evans. Evans got off to a rough start at the beginning of the season. Once Kevin Martin went down with an injury, Evans instantly made the Kings "his" team.

He led them for many wins and even had coach Paul Westphal smelling the playoffs at one point. To lead such an awful team to the point where they thought the playoffs were imminent is impressive.

This single occasion is the reason why Evans gets the slight edge over Curry. Although Evans is a quiet guy, his leadership does not lack on the court.

Slight edge: Evans