The Sacramento Kings did not have a winning season but sportsbook fans were sure impressed by Sacramento point guard Tyreke Evans. The Kings young star was named the Rookie of the Year beating out Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings. The Kings didn’t do much vs. the sportsbook online odds this past season but it sure was not the fault of Evans.
Sportsbook stats indicate that Sacramento went 39-39-4 against the spread this season. One of the reasons they got some wins vs. the point spread was the play of Evans. He was the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. The other three players on that list Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Evans was the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. He led all rookies in scoring at 20.1 points per game. He was second in assists at 5.8 per game and fifth in rebounds at 5.3 among rookies. He is the first Sacramento player ever to win the award. Evans received 67 first-place votes for a total of 491 points from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters. Curry was second with 391 points while Jennings finished third with 204 points. The scoring had players getting five points for a first place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Evans was also first among rookies in minutes played per game, free throws attempted and free throws made. Sportsbook online stats indicate that he was second in steals among rookies. He scored 20 or more points in 41 games this past season. Evans was named the MVP of the Rookie Challenge as he had 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals as the Rookies upset the Sophomores 140-128 win vs. the sportsbook odds.
Evans became the first Sacramento rookie to ever record a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game this season. “I don’t know of any 20-year-old who could have done what Tyreke did,” Sacramento director of player personnel Jerry Reynolds said. “LeBron did, and he was even more hyped, but it’s rare. In general, I’m amazed. He rose to the occasion. He’s got star potential. The book isn’t finished on Tyreke, but it’s a nice start. Chapter 1 is really nice.”