3 ways Tyreke Evans makes the Indiana Pacers better
By Ben Gibson
Tyreke Evans makes the bench less volatile
Indiana Pacers fans loved Lance Stephenson, and they still do, no matter what the numbers say. But strip him of some of those intangible elements that made Stephenson a positive force for Indiana, and you end up with a player whose production is replaceable.
That’s where Tyreke Evans comes in.
Even when you adjust for pace, Evans impact was much greater than Stephenson’s. And not just in points, either.
But there are a few caveats that quickly need throwing out: Evans played with the starters more often with the Memphis Grizzlies, while Stephenson played with the Indiana bench. Lance played more games, but Tyreke ended up benched thanks to the Grizzlies’ tanking efforts and other reasons, so only playing 57 games last season doesn’t mean he was injured for all those missed games.
As much fun as Lance was, it’s clear Indiana’s bench could benefit from a more steady and less volatile ball-hander.
But when he did play, the Grizzlies were more likely to get an assist from him than the Pacers did with Stephenson, and he did that while committing fewer turnovers than Born Ready. In fact, as much as Evans can be a ball-stopper, 30.8 percent of the time he handed out an assist compared to Lance’s 18.6. Tyreke also had one of the highest assist-to-turnover rates in the NBA.
As much fun as Lance was, it’s clear Indiana’s bench could benefit from a more steady and less volatile ball-hander.