Can Tyreke Evans win Sixth Man of the Year?
By Chris Kern
Tyreke Evans is off to a hot start for the Grizzlies. His excellence off the bench is positioning himself for a serious run at Sixth Man of the Year.
Tyreke Evans signed with the Memphis Grizzlies this past season. A lot of people didn’t know what to expect from him. They didn’t know if he would be the backup point guard or if he had a shot to start because of Parsons and his injuries.
Evans is off to a good start season. He’s been hitting some big shots for the team, but maybe more importantly he’s also running some point guard duties. In the process, Conley has a chance to play off ball which can help utilize him in other ways. Evans even put up a 32-point performance despite losing that game at home against Orlando.
Tyreke Evans will continue to be a key player for this team going forward. He’ll lead the second unit and continue to play down the stretch at the end of games. He’s a good scorer and ball-handler for this team, but he needs to continue to play like this to have a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year.
It’s still early, but Evans has been great so look for him to continue doing so.
Darren Myers from mytopsportsbooks.com had great things to say about him: “Many players see going from a starting spot to a bench role as a demotion, but for Tyreke Evans, it could be a blessing. The former Memphis Tiger is having a bounce back year for the Grizzlies. Averaging 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the first nine games of the season.”
They also set the odds at 7/1 that Evans will be named the 2017-18 Sixth Man of the Year, facing serious competition from the likes of the Rockets’ Eric Gordon, the Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson, and the Nuggets’ Will Barton.
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Tyreke Evans is going to be a huge part of the teams success this season, especially with Selden and McLemore’s injuries and Parsons’ uncertainty. The bench unit as a whole is good. Tyreke Evans is the leader of that group, but he needs to play well for the team to be successful.