Where Duke's Evans Projects To Land in NBA Draft

Isaiah Evans had an outstanding sophomore season at Duke, and the NBA has taken notice.

Coming into last season, Evans was widely identified as one of college basketball's top breakout candidates. His shooting ability and movement without the ball made him an ideal fit within Duke's offensive system, and after a quiet freshman year coming off the bench, the expectation was that a larger role would bring out the best in his game. He delivered on that promise in a significant way.

Evans averaged 15 points per game as a sophomore, adding 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest while shooting 43.3% from the field and 36% from three-point range. While his shooting efficiency dipped slightly compared to his freshman season, he nearly doubled both his field goal attempts and three-point attempts, reflecting the expanded role he was asked to fill and his willingness to embrace it.

That kind of production from a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who can create offense off movement made him one of the more attractive wing prospects in this draft class.

Where Evans Is Projected to Land

Both ESPN and CBS Sports released their mock drafts following the NBA Draft Lottery, and while his teammate Cameron Boozer is projected to go third overall to the Memphis Grizzlies, Evans is expected to hear his name called somewhere in the mid-to-late first round.

ESPN's Jeremy Woo projects Evans to the Atlanta Hawks with the 23rd pick. Woo highlighted Evans' positional size as a genuine asset at the shooting guard position and pointed to his ability to create separation and get open without the ball as the skill that will translate most readily to the NBA level. Woo also noted that Evans still has work to do on the defensive end, but that his offensive tools are polished enough to justify a first-round selection.

CBS Sports analyst Adam Finkelstein takes a different view on the landing spot, projecting Evans to the Dallas Mavericks with the 30th pick, the final selection of the first round. The fit in Dallas is intriguing. Evans would join former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg, who has already established himself as a player the Mavericks can build their future around.

Dallas needs perimeter shooters and playmakers who can operate off movement alongside Flagg, and Evans checks both of those boxes. The familiarity between the two former Blue Devils could make the pairing even more effective as both players adjust to the professional game.

What This Means for Duke

Duke has long been known as a program that develops highly touted freshmen into NBA talent, often within a single season. Evans represents a different but equally important version of that story. He did not arrive as the most celebrated recruit in his class, struggled to find consistent minutes as a freshman, and yet the program believed in him enough to give him a larger role as a sophomore. He responded by nearly doubling his offensive output and playing his way into the first round of the NBA Draft.

That kind of development does not happen by accident, and it has not gone unnoticed. Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba both decided to return to Duke for another season rather than test the draft, a choice that reflects the trust they have in Scheyer and his staff to continue developing their games. Evans' trajectory gives every player in that program a concrete example of what staying and committing to the process can produce.

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