Knicks Projected to Land Duke Forward

The New York Knicks could have up to two first-round picks in this year's NBA Draft.

They have their own selection and the Washington Wizards' pick, but that is protected from 1-8. This means that the Knicks would get the pick if the Wizards were 9-30. That's unlikely to happen, but the Knicks should be picking somewhere between 20-30.

With the No. 24 overall pick in Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Wasserman's latest mock draft, the Knicks selected Duke forward Isaiah Evans.

"With a larger sophomore role, Isaiah Evans should be aggressive this year showing more of the shot creation and scoring we saw in high school," Wasserman wrote.

"Playing off the ball last year, he graded in the 99th percentile in spot-up efficiency, per Synergy Sports, hitting 48.3 percent of those threes and showing signs of line-drive attacking and footwork off the dribble.

"Even if he struggles to show new one-on-one play or playmaking, Evans may be an advanced enough shooter to interest scouts in the late first round."

Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans shoots the ball against Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers guard Arlandus Keyes. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Evans, a sophomore from Fayetteville, N.C., averaged 6.8 points per game for the Blue Devils in his freshman season while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Evans was the No. 3 small forward in the recruiting class of 2024 and he was ranked ahead of Kon Knueppel, who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in this summer's NBA Draft.

Without Knueppel in the picture, Evans should play more often for head coach Jon Scheyer's team this season. His added playing time should help his chances of following in Knueppel's footsteps of being a first-round pick.

The Blue Devils will also be without Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Without Flagg, opportunities could open up for Evans as a creator as well. If Evans can take advantage of that, he will help his chances of landing with a team in the 2026 NBA Draft, possibly even the Knicks.

In the meantime, the Knicks are just weeks away from the start of training camp and the preseason.

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