What a difference a dozen pounds and a clean bill of health can make.
After struggling for much of the first eight games of the regular season, New Orleans Pelicans reserve swingman Tyreke Evans has looked like a different player recently. The reasons behind the transformation are actually very straightforward: His left ankle finally feels 100 percent after he severely sprained it in an Oct. 5 preseason game, and hes sliced 12 pounds off his 6-foot-6 frame, going from 235 to a svelte 223.
In a new reserve role with a new NBA team, Evans did not appear to be adjusting well over the first two-plus weeks of the season, averaging 7.8 points and shooting only 32.1 percent from the field, as the Pelicans started 3-5. Over the past two games against Utah and Philadelphia, however, the career 45 percent field-goal shooter has averaged 17.0 points on 14 of 23 shooting (60.9 percent).
Early in the regular season, Evans often penetrated into the paint on his trademark drives, but couldn't complete plays at the rim, critical for a player who does so much of his damage in that fashion. According to NBA.com/stats, Evans has taken 66 of his 104 overall attempts from the field in the restricted area, going 32-for-66. Hes 8-for-38 from every other spot. Unable to run due to the ankle injury for a big chunk of October, Evans put on weight, but eventually lost the pounds once he was cleared for physical activity, allowing him to regain his explosiveness.
