The highly touted star of Duke's season so far has undeniably been true freshman Cameron Boozer, who leads the team in nearly every measurable stat. However, Isaiah Evans is only heating up as the season progresses, and even the Blue Devils' haters are having to admire his game.
In Duke's astonishing 30-point victory over the Stanford Cardinal, Evans continued to garner respect as he put on an absolute show to push his team to victory.
Duke just steamrolled Stanford in Palo Alto, 80-50.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 18, 2026
Cameron Boozer with yet another dominant performance: 30 points and 14 boards.
Isaiah Evans with another good game. That's five straight. He's averaging 21.2 points over that stretch.
Yes, Boozer led the Blue Devils in scoring with 30 points, but Evans contributed 15 points of his own, alongside four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
Evans was (quite literally) everywhere on the court as the Blue Devils demolished the Cardinal, and that has been the trend throughout the start of Duke's conference schedule.
I hate everything about the Duke Blue Devils but I will admit, Isaiah Evans is pure water
— FreePlay Sam (@FreePlaySam) January 15, 2026
Even averaging "just" 14.6 points per game (which is more than double his season average from last year), Evans has averaged 20.2 points throughout ACC play, in which Duke has gone 6-0 so far.
Simply put, Evans has found his footing over the first 18 games of his sophomore season, and that will likely continue to be true as the Blue Devils fly toward March Madness.
Isaiah Evans through 6 ACC Games:
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) January 18, 2026
20.2 PPG
44.3% FG
38.8% 3PT
90.9 FT% (30/33)
ACC Slim. 1st team All-ACC
pic.twitter.com/YuVHeNb91O
Evans and the rest of the Duke squad have just 13 games until the conference tournament tips off in March. With Evans (and Boozer) trending in the right direction, it is looking more and more like the Blue Devils could finally push their way back into the National Championship game.
Isaiah Evans continues to be my favorite off ball mover in the class. Constantly in motion and makes defenders pay if they don't stay attached.
— Jam Hines (@jamontheboards) January 19, 2026
Fantastic feel for setting up screens and cuts. Been much better this season about leveraging his movement for more rim attempts pic.twitter.com/cBCIMXQJkc
Yes, Boozer is more likely than not going to be the first overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but Evans wouldn't be a bad second choice off the Duke depth chart, especially as he continues to mature.
Up next, Duke is set to take on the unranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 5:45 p.m. ET, and the conference matchup will be aired on the CW Network.