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It’s been a long, tough year for the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are 25-54 with three games to go and will obviously be missing the playoffs once again, but not all’s been disappointing in the capital city of California. Rookie Tyreke Evans is poised to win Rookie of the Year honors. The Memphis product is averaging over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game and his play has given Kings fans reason to believe that they might be ready to compete in the Western Conference in future years if they can add another capable piece or two. Evans joined KHTK in Sacramento to talk about being close to finishing off his 20-5-5 season, what he thinks the Kings need to do this off-season to improve their roster, who he’d like to see them take if they were to land the #1 overall pick in this summer’s draft, and how hard it’s been for him to deal with all the losing this year.
On if he feels the pressure to complete the 20-5-5 season:
“People been texting my phone being like 20-5-5 is history so I just try to go out there and play every night my hardest. So I don’t try to let it get to me, I don’t come out taking crazy shots, I just go out and play the game and try to help my team win.”
On if he thinks the Kings need another big time player to play alongside him:
“I don’t think by myself, you always need some help. The players we got, we got some players here that are good. We’re young and we’re coming up. But we just made a trade, so I’m looking forward to the off-season and when the season starts next year and maybe getting a big man or a wing guard or something like that to help contribute with our team. I think we’ll be pretty good if we start adding pieces to our puzzle. But we’ve got a good draft pick coming up so hopefully we can make the right pick and pick up a good draft pick, and they can help us out too.”
On who he would like the Kings to draft if they were to have the #1 overall pick in this summer’s draft:
“I mean, I like Evan Turner. He’s a really smooth player, and I see myself playing with him on the wing. He can pass, rebound, his game is similar to mine a little bit. And I like DeMarcus Cousins. He’s big, he’s physical. If he goes to a team like Sacramento, he’s going to have to work on getting strong because he’ll be going up against guys like A’mare and guys like that. But he’s got a tough heart, so I think he’ll be alright.”
On how tough it’s been for him to deal with all the losing, something he’s not experienced at any point in his basketball career prior to joining the Kings:
“Yeah it does. Like you said, I’ve been winning a lot before coming to the Kings. People think the NBA is easy when you watch on T.V., like they’re not playing hard, but guys make shots and are proven veterans so it’s a tough game when you’re out there and it’s your first year and you think you can come in here and win every game like you did in college. It was a tough for me, but sometimes I feel like I need to take every shot in order for us to win, but it’s just tough right now. I’m learning as it goes on and hopefully it gets better and I can help us win.”
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