What Does Tyreke Evans Have to Do to Rediscover His Rookie Form?

Tyreke Evans needs to develop a left hand. I can only assume that the Sacramento Kings are wholly devoted to fixing this issue of his, but perhaps that assumption is giving this organization too much credit.

SB Nation writer Tom Ziller just wrote a piece entitled, "The NBA is Full of Horrible Owners," with Sacramento's Maloofs as the article's launching pad. This is a wayward, losing, possibly moving team. It's hard to guarantee that it fixes what needs fixing. 

When Evans burst onto the scene, he was a revelation. Tyreke's lateral mobility, combined with his slick handle, made the rim his manifest destiny on every possession. My favorite instance was this vicious spin move he put on Ron Artest. 

More often, Tyreke Evans broke out a slinky Eurostep that had defenders bending at the ankles. He went for 20-5-5 over the course of his ROY campaign, to much (too much) fanfare from the Sacramento organization. 

There hasn't been improvement since that point, partially due to the injuries that have nagged Evans and partially because, well, Evans hasn't improved.

The aforementioned right-handed dominance is a problem. Look at the result of this Eurostep. It's a beautiful move, but you can see how Tyreke needs to make a left-handed layup out of a rightie try.

Defenses know this about Tyreke Evans and shift help accordingly. Until he grows comfortable with his left hand, he will be driving at a disadvantage. 

Evans—like almost any player—would benefit from becoming a better shooter. In the gym, by himself, all seems to be well.

In actual games, he's been averaging 23.5 percent from 10-15 feet, 30 percent from 16-23 feet, and 20.2 percent on threes (from HoopsData.com). Some of this may have to do with how he pulls the ball back so significantly, allowing more time and room for a disruption in form.

At any rate, those shooting numbers are near-unacceptable for a third-year player. Evans has talent, but he must refine his game to come even close to realizing that rookie-year potential.