New Orleans Pelicans forward Tyreke Evans will not be available at the start of the 2016-17 season, according to head coach Alvin Gentry.
Gentry broke the news on Zach Lowe’s ESPN podcast, The Lowe Post.
“He won’t be ready for the start of the season”, Gentry said. “He’s in a rehab situation. I think for us, we just gotta move forward with our season. And then, if he comes back and he’s able to help us that just adds icing to the cake”.
Evans, a 6’6″ swingman drafted #4 overall in 2009, has been plagued with injuries for the better part of his seven-year career. Since playing his first NBA game with the Kings in October of 2009, Evans has missed a combined 141 games, dealing with a series of ankle and knee injuries.
Last October, Evans underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee, the same injured knee that spoiled what was supposed to be a big year for Evans and the Pelicans.
Having played in only 25 games with New Orleans last season, Evans averaged 15.2 points on 43% shooting from the field. He was officially ruled out for the season in February after a determination was made that a second knee surgery was required. This right knee injury now appears to be directly affecting his 2016-17 season as well, according to Gentry.
For his career, Evans holds per-game averages of 16.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
