Continue Being a High-Profile Playmaker

Kevin Pritchard made it clear immediately after signing Evans that the Pacers were prioritizing signing another playmaker. He feels that Evans is capable of being exactly that for the team this season.

“You have to have two guys who can make plays.We saw last year in the playoffs, with Victor in the pick and roll, you can take him out of his best thing. They would soft double it. They would hard double it, but they would make him pass it. But if you have two playmakers on the court, with shooting and being able to space, it’s tough to defend. In this league, you have to score points. The best teams are putting up big numbers. You have to go right back at them and be able to outscore them.”

He went on to talk about the additions that the Pacers made being better fallback options if Oladipo is forced out of some games this season.

“We struggled when Victor went out. We were 0-8 (when Oladipo was hurt last year). I believe that given a healthy team and with these additions, we will have the ability to withstand that a little bit.”

Evans’ 5.1 assists last season don’t do his ability to make plays justice. He is capable of getting into the paint anytime he wants and that will open up perimeter shooting for the Pacers. In the pick-and-roll game, Evans is also able to get bigs open rolling to the rim and in pick-and-pop situations.

If Evans can continue being a playmaker, the Pacers have filled the biggest hole in the offense last year.

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