Isaiah Evans Could Return to Duke in Surprising Potential Move

The Duke Blue Devils were just eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in devastating fashion, blowing a 19-point lead to the UConn Huskies in a 73-72 Elite 8 defeat.

Now, some of Duke's top players must make a pivotal decision on their future.

Cameron Boozer is a sure-fire goner. He is basically a lock to be a top-four pick in the NBA Draft this June, and he might even go No. 1 overall. Patrick Ngongba is expected to head into the draft, as well.

But what about Isaiah Evans?

Evans weighed the idea of making the jump to the pros last year, but ultimately decided to return to Durham for the 2025-26 campaign. It proved to be a wise decision, as he showed vast improvement this season.

But even with all of the strides Evans made, he is still generally viewed as a late-first round pick, and late first-rounders typically do not experience a ton of NBA success.

Is it possible that Evans could spend another year with the Blue Devils in an attempt to further build his stock? Or is he destined to punch his ticket to the draft?

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. His perimeter shot was inconsistent, but when he had it going, he was lethal from long range.

The sophomore also significantly increased his free-throw rate, an indication that he was a whole lot more confident in his ability to put the ball on the floor in Year 2.

Evans is also viewed as a player with a decent defensive ceiling because of his long, wiry frame, but it's clear that he needs work on that end of the floor. He also needs to bulk up considerably.

Of course, some of these problems are typical of rookies. Because these guys are entering the NBA as teenagers (or in Evans' case, as a 20-year-old), their bodies are not fully developed yet. That's understandable.

However, there appears to be trepidation about Evans in general. The question is whether or not that's something that can be fixed by spending another year in the NCAA ranks. It's also possible that he could damage his standing if he shows only little improvement next year.

NIL also plays a role here. Duke can surely offer Evans a hefty sum to play with the Blue Devils one more season. Possibly even more than Evans could make in the first year of a rookie NBA contract.

Chances are, Evans will probably enter the draft, but it may not be the slam dunk many assumed heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

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