Andres Nocioni: Tyreke Evans Brought Trouble to the Locker Room in Sacramento

Nocioni spent two seasons in Sacramento when the Kings were terrible, but there was some optimism about the franchise when it drafted Tyreke Evans out of Memphis. That season Nocioni spent with Evans? Not very fun. Speaking to a website – and translated by HoopsVibe, here’s what Nocioni had to say about Evans:

"“I can’t really say what I want to say because I’m on TV… Incredible talent, but I think teams sometimes should be tougher on the younger guys. What he brought to Sacramento was trouble in the locker room and that doesn’t take you nowhere."

Can’t wait until Jimmer gets traded/cut and the he talks about what it was like in there with Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.

There’s a lot to love about Evans’ skill set – filthy handle, impressive 1 on 1 ability – but at 22, has he gotten better since his rookie year? None of the stats say so. His scoring has declined three straight years. He’s never shot above 30 percent on three-pointers, which is awful for a shooting guard. Heck, he’s never shot better than 45 percent from the field. Is he even someone to build a franchise around?

It’s a good thing the Queens Kings are moving to Anaheim (or wherever), otherwise, people might be talking about how, at 22, Evans hasn’t shown any signs of improving as a pro. If this continues, my best NBA comparison for Evans’ career will be that of Purvis Short. At least he made the playoffs a few times.