Tyreke Evans had a fantastic yet surprising career start upon entering the NBA. He carried himself as one of the league's rising stars, with his rookie season for the Sacramento Kings being pretty remarkable. He won the 2009-10 Rookie of the Year award compellingly, averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, becoming the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists after Oscar Robertson (1960–61), Michael Jordan (1984–85), and LeBron James (2003–04).
Cousins shares what went wrong with Tyreke and his career
After joining that historic company alone in his first season, many already envisioned that Evans was bound for success in the coming years. Unfortunately, the hype he enjoyed from the start gradually faded, making him one of basketball's tragic stories.
Only a few people like DeMarcus Cousins had first-hand experience witnessing how special Tyreke had ever been. As the building blocks of Sacramento, both players shared the court in the franchise's darkest years.
"Tyreke has it. He was that guy, man. It was just also that he kind of got caught up in the air because the game was starting to transition," DeMarcus Cousins about his former Kings teammate in an episode of Forgotten Seasons podcast . "Tyreke, when he came in, he was considered a combo guard. Like a combo, playmaking guard. He wasn't a point guard, but he wasn't a shooting guard either because he could dime, he could play, make all of those things. He was a point guard with a shooting guard's body, or damn near small forward's body. "
Yet, following his impressive rookie campaign, things started to crumble for Evans. His all-around production saw significant regression. As such, injuries also started to cripple in achieving his full potential. In the next three seasons, his numbers only dropped lower and lower, an unexpected progress from what he initially presented in his first season.
This disappointing mark only prompted the Kings brass to cut ties with him in 2013 by sending his rights to the New Orleans Pelicans. But even after leaving Sacramento and joining three more teams, Tyreke's lowly trend continued. Injuries became even more prevalent at his side, and he couldn't redeem himself by returning to that promise he had shown in his rookie year.
"Super talented, but he just got caught up in the game to where if you had the ball in your hands as a guard, you had to be really able to shoot it. Guys like Steph [Curry] and Damian Lillard were changing the game. The game was starting to switch then guys like James Harden. Things of that nature. So I think it was more so him getting caught up in the air," DMC concluded.
An unfortunate ending to a promising career start
The meteoric rise that Tyrese seized in his rookie year ended in a crushing downfall for the following seasons that unfolded. Although it was a huge letdown, Evans can only blame himself for that unfortunate ending to his once-promising career. Unlike his peers, he failed to adapt to the game's development and lacked discipline in taking his play to the next level. As such, there were also reports of a negative attitude around him, which wiped out his chances of fulfilling that star potential.
As it is, his horrible habits even extended off the court. That can be noted when the NBA banned him for violating its anti-drug program in 2019. Although his eligibility to play in the league was reinstated three years later, it became the final nail in the coffin of his NBA career. As one of the notable NBA players who fell from grace after a favorable emergence in their career, Evans can only see his name in the long list.
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