Will Duke Blue Devils star Isaiah Evans enter the NBA Draft?
While Duke Blue Devils star Cameron Boozer is merely waiting to hear if his name will be called first in the NBA Draft this June, Isaiah Evans is in a bit of a different situation.
Evans had a solid sophomore campaign at Duke, but it wasn't quite good enough for the 6-foot-6 wing to establish himself as a lottery pick.
Some have Evans pegged as a late first-rounder, while others feel he might actually slip into the second round.
ESPN's Jeremy Woo seems higher on Evans than most, ranking the 20-year-old No. 21 on his NBA Draft big board.
However, Woo appears to believe that Evans would really benefit from spending another season in Durham.
"Evans offers real long-term scoring upside if he can gain strength, sharpen his handle and continue to improve his decision-making. There's room for him to rise on the board if he opts to enter the draft, but also potentially more for him to show in college," Woo wrote.
Evans averaged 15 points and 3.2 rebounds over 28.2 minutes per game on 43.3/36.1/86.0 shooting splits this season.
Isaiah Evans. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.There is no doubt that Evans flashed significant potential in bursts, but he was also far too inconsistent on both ends of the floor.
Evans' three-point shot can be lethal when he is on, but there have also been times where it has completely abandoned him. The same thing applies to Evans on the defensive end of the court.
You can tell by his length and athleticism that Evans certainly has the potential to become a very good defender on the NBA level, but his slight frame and vacillating motor are definitely concerns.
Evans is still very young, so you have to figure that he will naturally add weight to his frame as he gets older, but can he stay locked in 100 percent of the time defensively?
These are all questions NBA teams will be asking themselves while weighing the possibility of drafting Evans, but there is always the outside chance he returns to Duke to further hone his skills.
But how often do you see a legitimate top NBA prospect spend three years on the collegiate level these days? It's not very common.
Most likely, Evans will enter the draft, and he will just have to develop on the fly.
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