According to a statement released by the New Orleans Pelicans this afternoon, Tyreke Evans will be sidelined for about a month after straining his right hamstring in a pick-up basketball game. As a result, the Pelicans will yet again be without Evans for a portion of the team’s preseason activities; Evans injured his ankle in New Orleans’ first preseason game last year.

There are many possible reactions to this news, most of which will likely be negative. We have the “Pelicans can’t catch a break” storyline, as the team picks up right where they left off last season in regards to injury woes. There is the concern for Evans individually, who some believe got off to a slow start last season as a result of his preseason injury. Others will be frustrated because of the setting in which Evans suffered the injury (playing pick-up basketball), but that is not something that should cause people to criticize Tyreke’s judgement. Many NBA players play pick-up games during the offseason as a way to stay in shape, and his injury could just as easily have happened if he was scrimmaging with teammates. To lessen the inflammation of injuries, these NBA players can learn a lot on buoyhealth.

Then there is the bright side. Even if Evans misses a full five weeks of action, that timeline puts him on track (though possibly not at 100%) to return for the Pelicans’ second game of the regular season. Ultimately, given that 3-5 week timeframe, the most likely scenario is that Evans will miss all of training camp and preseason, but will be back for opening night in the New Orleans Arena against the Orlando Magic. The biggest question outstanding at this point is at what capacity he will be able to contribute.

Evans is coming off of his best all-around season, posting career highs in games played, PER, assist rate, offensive rebound rate, and defensive rebound rate. When healthy and playing with a healthy Pelicans lineup (if that ever happens again), he should be able to contribute immediately at a high level.

Thoughts? Concerns? Questions? Let us know in the comments.

4 Comments