The longer Tyreke Evans continues to play well, the more likely the name of Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson will be mentioned around Sacramento.
Robertson owns several franchise records, dating to when the team was known as the Cincinnati Royals.
These days, whenever a rookie record associated with the Kings is discussed, it seems as if Evans is chasing Robertson.
Being a King means Evans is getting to know more about Robertson, who remains the only player in NBA history to average a triple double in a season (1961-62).
"I didn't know a lot about him," Evans said. "I knew he was a great player. I watched a couple of his games on NBA TV. I watched when he said one of the problems he had was kind of like what I'm going through right now … shooting the ball or passing – that was the hardest thing for him."
Evans has 403 points in his first 20 games, the most by a Kings rookie in the Sacramento era. Evans trails only Robertson, who owns the franchise record with 531 points through his first 20 games for the Royals in the 1960-61 season.
"It means a lot," Evans said of being mentioned with Robertson. "He was a great player in the league, a Hall of Famer. I just have to keep the hard work up."
Making progress – Kings guard Kevin Martin's latest X-ray on his broken left wrist showed the bone is healing as expected. He will have a CT scan on Dec. 30.
Martin averaged 30.6 points through five games before the injury forced him to have surgery on Nov. 9. The recovery time was projected to be six to eight weeks.
"He's healing," said Kings coach Paul Westphal. "That's better than not healing."
Et cetera – Westphal isn't panicking over the Kings' recent free-throw problems. The Kings have made just 37 of 66 free throws (56 percent) in their last three games.
"We're trying to emphasize free-throw shooting every day (in practice) in pressure free-throw situations," Westphal said. "I think we have good shooters, and I think over the course of the season we'll make them.
"We've hit a rough patch, and so we'll keep playing with confidence and figure it'll even itself out."
• Forward Kenny Thomas missed Friday's practice for personal reasons but will be available tonight against Minnesota.
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