New Orleans Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans announced he'll return to the court against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
Tyreke Evans’ return from injury gives the injury-riddled Pelicans a huge boost
The struggling Pelicans welcome back one of their best players, and just in the nick of time.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Evans will make his season debut after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Oct. 20. His injury is just one of many the Pelicans have endured during a trying 4-13 start that has them in a hole in the Western Conference.
In the backcourt alone, Evans, Jrue Holiday (leg) and Norris Cole (ankle) have all missed time. Holiday has only missed four games, but he's playing just 21.4 minutes per game as he recovers. Cole hasn't played a game all season, but like Evans, he is also set to return against Memphis.
New Orleans has turned to several journeymen players thanks to these backcourt injuries, to varying degrees of success. Nate Robinson started the opener but was waived soon after. Jimmer Fredette had another cup of coffee with the team before getting the boot. Toney Douglas has provided some nice outside shooting at nearly 41 percent from deep, but he's a limited player.
Ish Smith has had the most success out of all the additions, as he's averaging 11.9 points, 8.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds on the year. He's been especially productive of late, but his track record suggests that he can't keep up this type of play.
The return of Evans and Cole should bolster both an average offense and a league-worst defense. Evans brings a dynamic off-the-dribble game and strong facilitation skills. He ranked sixth among shooting guards in Offensive Real Plus-Minus last season, per ESPN. Cole is a respectable shooter and pesky defender, and now Smith can return to a smaller role that’s more suited for him, giving the Pelicans nice guard depth.
A lot has to go right for the Pelicans to reach the lofty goals they had before all of these injuries, but getting back Evans and Cole is a good start. It also helps that the West has gotten off to a disappointing start, leaving New Orleans just four games out of the eighth spot despite the poor record. A healthy Pelicans team has a lot of offensive firepower, and if they can ever figure out the defense, perhaps they can make a charge up the standings.
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