Could Duke star Isaiah Evans land with the Minnesota Timberwolves?
One NBA draft analyst has the Minnesota Timberwolves taking Duke star Isaiah Evans with the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic thinks Evans lands with the Timberwolves.
"Evans had a strong close to the season up until his final game, helping Duke reach the Elite Eight," Vecenie wrote. "He averaged 15 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3, but over his final 15 games, he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3 on over eight 3-point attempts per game. Evans is a dynamic shooter off movement who worked really well with Boozer both in ball screens and as a screener, then also ran off many off-ball screens himself.
"Evans expanded his game in a big way this year as a driver, too, going from taking 81 percent of his shots from 3 as a freshman to 65 percent of his shots from 3 while taking four attempts inside the line per game. He also got a bit more physically stronger on defense, although he still has some room to grow."
Evans appeared in 38 games for Duke this season. He averaged 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 43.3% from the field, 36.1% from beyond the arc and 86.0% from the free-throw line.
Evans finished his Duke career with averages of 11.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He played in 74 games.
The Timberwolves have a talented team, headlined by Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. Adding Evans could make Minnesota a title contender next season.
Duke lost to UConn in the Elite 8 this year. Dame Sarr, Cayden Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster will return next season for Jon Scheyer's club.
Duke hasn't won the NCAA championship since the 2014-15 season. It will be fascinating to see if the program reaches the promised land in the Scheyer era.
Scheyer will certainly miss Evans and Cameron Boozer next season. Both players will be in the NBA.
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