Isaiah Evans was undoubtedly disappointed to fall out of the first round of the NBA Draft. He was the lone green room invitee not to be selected on Tuesday night. But that wait might prove to be worth it.
Evans was selected with the third pick of the second round on Wednesday, No. 33 overall, by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The pick was technically made by the Brooklyn Nets, but that pick was routed to the Wolves as part of the Julius Randle trade.
The Timberwolves were one of the teams most connected to Evans during the pre-draft process. Their decision to trade back from No. 28 to No. 33 was a signal that it might be a long night for Evans. That proved prophetic. But the Wolves got the guy they wanted all along, and they were able to do it despite moving back five spots.
For Evans, he'll arrive in Minnesota with a golden opportunity in front of him.
Isaiah Evans will have a chance to carve out real minutes with the Timberwolves despite falling to 2nd Round
The Timberwolves don't have much cap space to add to the roster, so a cheap rookie like Evans will have a real opportunity to earn a role on next season's team. They are drafting him with the thought that he can play quickly.
Minnesota may see Evans as a suitable replacement for Donte DiVincenzo, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in April and will likely miss the entirety of the 2026-27 season. DiVincenzo played a significant role for the Wolves before the injury, averaging over 30 minutes per game and knocking down 38% of his attempts from three.
Adding players to space the floor next to Anthony Edwards always makes sense. Edwards has tremendous gravity, and he'll pull defenders off the perimeter as he attacks the basket, which could lead to a ton of open catch-and-shoot threes for Evans.
Evans had a bit of a shooting slump late in the year, but still managed to connect on 36% of his threes as a sophomore with Duke, following up his freshman season, where he hit 41.6% of his attempts from downtown. Evans is the level of shooter who can create space for Edwards to work.
Evans is more than just a catch-and-shoot player now, too, but that will be the main thing asked of him as a rookie in Minnesota. He has the potential to be a quality defender, projecting as a legitimate 3-and-D option on the wing in the NBA. He graded out well as a defender in advanced metrics with the Blue Devils. His ability to add weight so that he can hold up on that end of the floor and not get pushed around will likely decide whether he can stick in the league for the long run.
Second-round picks aren't assured of a guaranteed contract like first-rounders are. But there's been a rise of teams handing out guaranteed contracts to second-round picks, particularly players like Evans who are taken so quickly on day two.
Evans getting a guaranteed deal from the Timberwolves seems like a safe bet. He'll head to Minnesota with a golden opportunity to carve out a role as a rookie.
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