Tyreke Evans’ status has been mostly up in the air for the past week, dating to a Jan. 13 game in Sacramento when he had to exit with right knee tendinitis after playing just seven minutes. After sitting out Monday’s game at Memphis, the guard is expected to be on the floor Tuesday vs. Minnesota, as the Pelicans (13-27) begin a seven-game homestand at the Smoothie King Center.
“I think he probably has pain, but anyone who knows Tyreke… he’s an extremely tough guy,” Alvin Gentry said of Evans being able to play. “He’s going to try to be out there every opportunity that he can be.”
Evans missed the first 17 games of the regular season – New Orleans went just 4-13 without him – but then appeared in the next 15 games prior to a knee-related DNP at Dallas on Jan. 2. The Pelicans now are hoping to be able to keep Evans in uniform for the bulk of the second half of the schedule.
“As a coach, sometimes I have to monitor that for him and make him understand that when you’re injured, sometimes you can’t play,” Gentry said of being cautious with Evans. “I appreciate who he is and I appreciate the toughness that he tries to fight through, but I also want him to understand that by resting it a game or two, you take yourself out of a situation of doing something where you might be out long term.”
New Orleans is 5-14 overall when Evans does not play this season and 8-13 when he does. Although the offense has sometimes played at a slower pace when Evans is at the controls, Gentry understands his impact on the Pelicans.
“He’s a guy who can make plays. He gives us size at that (point guard) position, post-up ability when he has a smaller guard on him,” Gentry said. “He tries to push the pace of the game; I think we do push it a little more when he’s out, but I still think having him in is a good thing.”
Other notes from pregame at the Smoothie King Center:
Gentry, who spoke to NBA TV’s Tas Melas prior to addressing local media, said he remains focused on making sure Anthony Davis is touching the ball more often; at times the Pelicans go away from the two-time All-Star at key stretches. “Through ball movement, sometimes we (can) still end up with good shots without him touching it,” Gentry said. “But for the most part, we want him involved in the offense as much as we possibly can.” The coach noted that in Monday’s game, the Grizzlies tried to take Davis out of the offense by double-teaming him from in front and behind.
