Duke Blue Devils star Isaiah Evans is being projected to land with a championship contender in the NBA Draft.
Duke Blue Devils wing Isaiah Evans officially declared for the NBA Draft last week, which should come as a surprise to no one.
Evans just completed his sophomore campaign at Duke, and some felt he would head to the draft last year.
The 20-year-old averaged 15 points and 3.2 rebounds over 28.2 minutes per game on 43.3/36.1/86.0 shooting splits this past season, and while he may not be a lottery pick, he is certainly an intriguing talent.
Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports recently ran a mock draft, and he has Evans landing in an ideal situation come June: the Detroit Pistons, who own the 21st overall pick (via the Minnesota Timberwolves).
"Evans is a legitimate sharpshooter with the off-ball chops to thrive without even running any offense for himself, which is a perfect fit in Detroit, where Cade Cunningham needs live targets in the corners," O'Connor wrote. "The Pistons were 29th in 3-point attempts and 17th in 3-point percentage this season, so more shooters like Evans are needed."
Isaiah Evans. Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images.Evans definitely has a smooth stroke from the perimeter, although his lack of consistency from long range can be maddening.
Case in point, the Fayetteville, N.C. native made 41.6 percent of his three-point attempts during his freshman campaign and saw that number dip 5.5 percent this pas season. Yes, he was on higher volume, attempting 7.4 triples per game to 4.1 the year prior, but the contrast was still a bit alarming.
Evans also definitely needs to add some weight to his frame. He stands 6-foot-6 but comes in at just 180 pounds, which is why some have actually likened him to former Duke star Brandon Ingram (although there overall games are not so similar).
Fortunately, the swingman has plenty of time to grow into his body and will naturally fill out over time, so it's not unreasonable to expect Evans to be closer to 200 pounds within the next couple of years.
The Pistons finished with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season and have some very tough, defensive-minded players up and down their roster, so that environment would be very healthy for Evans in his early NBA years.
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