The Kings won't win many games that Tyreke Evans only takes five shots.
That's how many shots Evans attempted in Wednesday night's 117-112 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Only one of the field goals attempts came after halftime.
The result: Evans had more turnovers (four) than shots made (three).
The Spurs were determined to not let Evans beat them by driving to the basket. It's no secret that's the strength of Evans' game and as expected, the Spurs made that tough.
Evans did have five assists, but the game was a reminder Evans' aggression on offense can't be limited to driving to the basket.
Evans was 1-of-2 on layup attempts and 2-of-3 on jump shots.
There were more shots there for Evans to take. The Spurs were conceding midrage opportunities. Evans did not take them nearly enough.
"What he has to do is he is going to have to take shots," said Kings coach Keith Smart.
According to NBA.com/stats, 384 of Evans' 715 field goal attempts this season have been within five feet of the basket (53.7 percent). Evans is shooting 59.1 percent from within five feet.
Evans' shooting falls way off anywhere else on the floor:
5-9 feet: 22-of-78, 28.2 percent
10-14 feet: 4-of-22, 18.2 percent
15-19 feet: 25-of-81, 30.9 percent
20-24 feet: 19-of-74, 25.7 percent
25-29 feet: 15-of-66, 22.7 percent
30-34 feet: 0-of-0, 0 percent
35-39 feet: 0-of-2, 0 percnet
40 feet-plus: 2-of-8, 25 percent
"As he grows he's going to learn to take those shots, miss them," Smart said. "Shoot them all, I don't care, but he's going to have to take those shots."
Evans said he is comfortable shooting mid-range jump shots when defenses take away the paint.
"I was comfortable taking it (Wednesday)," Evans said. "I took it when I had a chance. I just stopped taking it in the second half and I couldn't really get a rhythm. I was coming in and out of the game so I just find a rhythm after that."
Evans played 30 minutes, the lowest amount of any starter.
But when Evans is in the game, he is going to have to take and make shots outside of the paint consistently.
At one point Smart sat Evans after he drove right into Kawhi Leonard when there was no where for him to go with the ball. A jump stop would have given Evans the chance to take a short jumper but Evans tried to force his way to the rim.
It's the kind of shot Smart has tried to get Evans not to take against a set defense.
"You're dealing with smart players that study the scouting report and understand the tendencies - not rush out, don't overcommit and invite the jump shot," Smart said. "And he's going to have to take those shots being the point guard, off guard or small forward. That's part of his development that he has to get to. He has to get there because if not it's going to frustrate him because they're going to close the lane off."
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