“It’s early,” Evans said, smiling. “I shoot three (three-pointers) a game, at the most. I think one game I shot five. But it’s just (a result) of shooting with confidence. Working with (Pelicans assistant coach Fred Vinson) in the offseason helped a lot, getting repetitions and shooting the same shot every time. It’s been working in the games. I just want to keep it up for the whole season.”
When Vinson analyzed the mechanics of Evans’ shot last season, the player’s first with the Pelicans, the coach found several flaws that combined to prevent Evans from achieving consistency. For one, Evans was not squaring his feet up to the basket.
“There’s a saying, ‘All 10 toes to the rim,’ ” Vinson said. “You build your shot from the feet up.”
Evans also was not bending his knees – called “loading up” by coaches – when he took three-pointers or other deep jumpers. Just as damaging, he was holding the ball incorrectly and closing his fingers together as he released shots.