Indiana Pacers

For Tyreke Evans, playing at his own speed is how he controls the game.

It’s rare to see a player govern an offense in the way Tyreke Evans does. Some guys do it with an unmatched basketball IQ. Others do it with a Jupiter strength on-ball gravity. Evans steers the ship that is the Pacers second unit by playing at fluctuating speeds.

When the Pacers are on offense, Tyreke has one of the lowest average speeds of any player on Indiana, slower than any of the downtempo centers that play for the Blue and Gold (per NBA.com). Most of the guys near the bottom of the offensive speed list are off-ball operators like Darren Collison, TJ Leaf, and Bojan Bogdanovic. Tyreke is an on-ball operator and smooth globetrotter. His speed should, in theory, be higher on average than these particular cohorts of his.

But the slow, methodical approach to running an offense is what makes Reke so deadly. It appears as if he is aimlessly trotting up the court here, and then he puts on the afterburners and blows right by his man with a crossover:

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That’s the Tyreke Evans way. It’s unique, it’s manipulative, and most importantly, it’s really hard to guard.

Let’s peer over at our talent grades and see how Tyreke manifests that unique ability of his. His “One on one” grade is the most obvious demonstration of his ability to control the game with tempo. Last season, Evans graded out in the 95th percentile in this category – only a handful of players in the league were better in 2017-18 in one on one situations.

Part of the description for one on one play gives us more insight into why Tyreke is able to be so effective. “This category is aiming to calculate what players best used the ball in their hands to apply pressure on the defense and create individual scoring opportunities.”

Tyreke is doing just that every time he switches up his momentum. In the above clip – it was all about creating a scoring opportunity for himself. In the below one, it is about creating an opportunity for Domantas Sabonis:

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Evans starts this attack by jolting downhill, but once he gets to the free throw line he is thwarted by LaMarcus Aldridge. Instead of picking up his dribble or resetting all together, Evans just simply slows down. He unhurriedly approaches LMA with another dribble – which gives Sabonis time to roll right past him and create a passing angle. Two easy points.

Sometimes, it happens within the flow of the offense and opens up the floor. Evans received an A grade in perimeter shooting and an A- grade in post play in the 2017-18 season. Basically, you have to guard him everywhere.

This creates openings in many sets the Pacers employ with Tyreke on the court. If you leave him, he just scores an easy bucket. If you stay on him and let him methodically break you down, it’s an easy bucket for someone else. He bends the floor is a way that not many other guys do:

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Similar to the start of the prior clip, Reke starts by attacking the rim. But when the double team comes, its time for him to display his quickness voodoo. He grinds himself to a halt while simultaneously backing away from the two defenders that have attempted to trap him. This both gravitates the Spurs defense to the strong side of the court and opens up a passing lane for Evans. He fires it to Sabonis, who keeps it moving around the perimeter, and several measures later, the Pacers have 3 points.

It’s such a little thing – but Evans’ dramatic shifts in his speed on offense always allow him to be in control. He dictates when help defense rotates, he precedes the opening of a new passing angle, and he prescribes defenders to shift their weight and become off balance.

That is when Tyreke Evans strikes, and that is when he is at his best.