It took a little longer than he had hoped, but Duke’s Isaiah Evans has his landing spot in the NBA draft.<\/p>\n
The sophomore guard is heading to Minnesota, the move coming after the Brooklyn Nets selected Evans with the 33rd overall pick in Wednesday night’s second round with a pick that will be shipped to the Timberwolves as part of a pre-draft trade.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-6, 186-pound Evans had a seat in the green room through Tuesday’s first round, but ultimately spent a difficult night without hearing his name called by league commissioner Adam Silver to join him on stage in New York.<\/p>\n
Evans wasn’t among the list of attending prospects released by the NBA for Round 2. <\/p>\n
Evans worked as an off-the-ball floor spacer with the ability to heat up from outside in a hurry while shooting 38% from behind the arc through two seasons. And he was considered a possible first-round prospect even before he elevated his game as a full-time starter in his sophomore season.<\/p>\n
The first glimpse at his potential came when, out of nowhere, he hit six 3-pointers in the first half of a marquee matchup against Auburn as a freshman reserve for a team that went on to reach the Final Four. He followed that by averaging 15 points and having 14 games with at least four 3s, a run that included going for a career-best 32 points with seven 3-pointers in an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament win against Florida State.<\/p>\n
He also had a highlight moment early in the season with a clutch final-minute winner to beat reigning national champion Florida.<\/p>\n
The most pressing concern about him was the need to add strength to a slim frame to handle the physical play at the next level.<\/p>\n
While falling out of the first round was a disappointment, Evans won’t have to look far for inspiration when it comes to second-round picks who have gone on to NBA success. There’s a long line of stories like those of Denver Nuggets star and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic arriving in the league as the No. 41 overall pick in 2014.<\/p>\n
Or, there’s New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who earlier this month led the franchise to its first world championship since 1973.<\/p>\n
His draft spot? Same as Evans, No. 33 overall in 2018.<\/p>\n