Ducks Digest

Oregon Duck Basketball's Kwame Evans Jr. Projected NBA Draft First Round?

Oregon Duck Kwame Evans Jr. is near the top of the list of players to watch in next year's NBA Draft. The NBA Draft class is going to be extremely special due to the high level of incoming freshmen with the combination of international talent.
Arden Cravalho|
Oregon Duck basketball forward Kwame Evans Jr.
Oregon Duck basketball forward Kwame Evans Jr.

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Oregon Ducks

Oregon Duck forward Kwame Evans Jr. is a name very familiar within the Oregon community but will be known on the national scene after next season.

The sophomore power forward made a solid impression on coach Dana Altman in his freshman campaign. During 29 starts in 36 games played, Evans Jr. averaged 7.3 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.0 blocks per game in 22.5 minutes per game.

Expect those stats to go up with a lot more responsibility headed Evans Jr.'s way.

Kwame Evans Jr. of the Oregon Ducks being introduced at the 2024 NCAA March Madness
Kwame Evans Jr. of the Oregon Ducks being introduced at the 2024 NCAA March Madness | @KwameEvansJr on Twitter

Evans Jr. ranks as the 26th player on Bleacher Report's 2025 NBA Draft Big Board. Now, it's extremely early and he still has have a lot to prove in Year Two with the Ducks but he's at a solid starting point.

The leftie showed flashes of a future pro throughout his first season with Oregon. Another season of development with the Ducks will do absolute wonders for his NBA Draft stock in 12 months.

At 6'9, Evans Jr. showed how he can impact a game in many different ways while stuffing the stat sheet. He gets a lot of deflections and plays with a lot of energy on both the defensive as well as offensive glass. On-ball defending is the part of his game that scouts continue to discuss due to his anticipation when reading plays before they happen. His understanding of the opponent's rotations is that of a savvy veteran.

On Oregon's offense, Evans Jr. has a finesse touch around the rim and a smooth stroke when shooting from three-point range. More reps and looks on that side of the floor will do wonders for his overall game.

If the Duck can get more consistent when shooting from deep and we could be talking about Evans Jr. being a first-round pick at next summer's NBA Draft.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho is a reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI. He has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018, specifically as the lead writer and editor for SB Nation's 'The Slipper Still Fits.' Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, California, Arden is also a part of the California Golden Bears' athletic department as a Ticket Sales and Service Account Executive. His overall experience and dedication to college athletics are evident in his insightfulness and analysis throughout all of his work.

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