Tyreke

Last week, an NBA.com columnist ranked Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry as its NBA Rookie of the Year poll sitter, placing our own Sacramento Kings freshman phenom Tyreke Evans in second place.

SN&R’s take? Gimme a break.

Evans, the brawny but agile 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, has been the NBA’s most consistent rookie performer. And stats don’t lie: His average of 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game is a rookie feat matched only by Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Oscar Robertson.

So, NBA.com, kindly get over yourself and look to Sacramento for this year’s ROY; Evans is the sure thing. He’s a clutch player when games are on the line, as seen with last-second winners against Milwaukee and Denver. He gets to the rim and scores at will. He demands double teams unlike any other rookie—and Hall of Famers like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade sing his praises.

Sure, he doesn’t have Curry’s butter jump shot (who does?), but Evans still fared 46 percent from the field this year—5 percent better than LeBron during his frosh effort. Basically, if Evans didn’t play for the NBA’s redheaded stepchild, our dear Kings (who will appear on national TV twice all year), there’d be no debate: RekeRoy, unanimous.