Tyreke Evans was scheduled for an MRI Friday, and the fear being whispered about was the dreaded “stress fracture.” A tiny crack in the bone is extremely painful, hard to heal, and could keep him out for months. Kings fans waited with baited breath to find out if their franchise player was done for a significant amount of time, which would annihilate any hope of a turnaround. The answer, if you please, Mr. Sactown Royalty:
via Tyreke Evans’ MRI Results: No Stress Fracture, Just Plantar Fasciitis - Sactown Royalty.
So all he has is one of the most painful and difficult conditions for a basketball player to play through. Well, then. that’s much better.
Evans has struggled this season, as all the Kings have. But Evans was a transcendent star last season, with a historic season. His fall back to Earth is crushing for a franchise that looked to have turned the corner in it’s rebuilding process, from tearing down the structure to laying the foundation. A season lost to frustration, slumps, and injuries just sends the franchise that much further back.
Especially damaging is that the condition affects a player’s touch by distracting him when he tries to explode off the foot. It messes with the jumper as it did with Tony Parker, and it messes with your explosion. Evans is still shooting the same percentage as last year at the rim, but from inside ten feet and 11-15 feet, he’s struggling severely. If the condition clears up, the Kings might be able to make a push for some respectability as the year goes on. The same can’t be said for DeMarcus Cousins’ condition: immaturity.
