NBA Free Agency: Eight Reasons the Memphis Grizzlies Will Miss Tyreke Evans

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MEMPHIS, TN – JANUARY 15: Tyreke Evans #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 15, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Outside Shooting

Simply put, Tyreke Evans was an elite three-point marksman for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017-18. More specifically, he was the fourth-leading shooter in three-point accuracy (39.9%) for the Grizz. The three players in front of him appeared in less than half of the team’s games.

Evans ranked second (Marc Gasol being first) for the Grizzlies in outside shot attempts. However, ‘Reke connected on a team-high 114 triples this past season. Appearing in 52 total games (though some of those were missed due to the Front Office attempted to deal Evans at the NBA Trade Deadline), Tyreke was truly the Grizzlies’ best three-point marksman. Gasol appeared in 21 more contests, made five fewer treys, and achieved a 5.8% lesser accuracy.

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This proves that Tyreke Evans put in a lot of work to improve his long-range jumper. One year ago, he was not known as a three-point threat. A playmaker? For sure. He was capable of putting points on the scoreboard, but defenses did not worry about contesting many of his long-distance jumpers. To see just how far ‘Reke has come in this particular aspect of his skill set, he owned a 25.5% outside clip as an NBA rookie (2009-10), a career-worst 20.2% in his third season, and an abysmal mark of 22.1% in his fifth season. After nine professional seasons, Evans continues to show improvements.

All decade, the Memphis Grizzlies have longed for superior outside shooting. Whether they have attempted to satisfy this need via the NBA Draft, NBA Free Agency, or trades, the injury bug has squashed their hopes and dreams. ‘Reke was a welcomed surprise in 2017-18, but as a one-year rental, it will sting in the upcoming season. Now the team must look elsewhere — most likely via players already on their roster — to step up their game from beyond the arc.

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