Tyreke Evans Injury Update: Pelicans G Reportedly Could Miss Rest of Season
 

http://blackandgold.com/images/pixel.gifNew Orleans Pelicans combo-guard Tyreke Evans has been sidelined since Jan. 28 with tendinitis in his right knee, and The Vertical's Shams Charania reported Wednesday that 26-year-old plans to undergo surgery that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season.

In addition to missing the Pelicans' last seven games, Evans was sidelined for the first 17 matchups of the regular season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October.

New Orleans has been decimated by injuries all season long and has failed to live up to lofty expectations after capturing the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot last season.

Franchise centerpiece Anthony Davis was previously in and out of the lineup with a back injury, while shooting guard Eric Gordon is currently sidelined with a broken ring finger on his shooting hand. Veteran swingman Quincy Pondexter is also out for the year after undergoing season-ending surgery on his left knee.

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry previously told reporters he hoped Evans would return after the All-Star break, per NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer, but those plans have evidently been squashed.

With Evans out indefinitely, New Orleans' backcourt rotation should be comprised of Jrue Holiday, Norris Cole, Bryce Dejean-Jones and Toney Douglas from here on out.

http://blackandgold.com/images/pixel.gif

Cole would seem to be the primary beneficiary of Evans' absence, and his play over the past week-and-a-half indicates he can effectively hold down the fort until mid-April.

After struggling mightily in December and January, Cole is averaging 15 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from three over the course of five February appearances.

Furthermore, Cole has started every game since Jan. 21 while Holiday has shifted into a role as the Pelicans' spark plug off the bench with Dejean-Jones starting at the 2.

http://blackandgold.com/images/pixel.gif

"I think Jrue is in a great place," Gentry said on Jan. 21, per Eichenhofer. "We’ll start Norris (Cole) and Jrue will continue to maintain his role. He’s been great for us in that role; he likes that role for himself. And also it helps us keep our rotations pretty clean in terms of what we’ve been doing."

For a Pelicans team that once appeared to be the trendiest sleeper in the Western Conference, the news of Evans' surgery could ultimately signal surrender. New Orleans (19-32) was already in a major hole 6.5 games back of the fourth-place Houston Rockets, and losing a dynamic playmaker like Evans figures to amplify the team's inconsistencies during what's proved to be a lost season.

At this rate, the focus should shift toward making incremental improvements on the defensive end, where the Pelicans rank 25th in efficiency.



Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



More...