While Cameron Boozer is seemingly locked into the Top 5, and probably Top 3, heading into the pre-draft process for the 2026 NBA Draft, his former Duke teammate Isaiah Evans faces a lot more uncertainty when it comes to where he could ultimately land.
Evans is a consensus first-round pick, which led to his decision to enter the draft early. He's got a chance to rise in the pre-draft process, potentially up to the lottery range, with his two-way ability as a three-point shooter and on and off-ball defender.
Evans saw a breakout sophomore season in Durham after playing a small role as a freshman, jumping up to 15 points per game as Duke's second-leading scorer behind the National Player of the Year in Boozer.
Entering the pre-draft process, Evans is typically projected somewhere in the late teens to mid-20s. In Jeremy Woo's latest mock draft on ESPN, Evans would find a landing spot with a budding Eastern Conference power.
Jeremy Woo projects Isaiah Evans to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 23
After dealing Trae Young to the Wizards, it looked like the Hawks were on their way toward a rebuild. Instead, led by former Duke star Jalen Johnson, Atlanta went 20-6 after the All-Star break and entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They are currently giving the New York Knicks all they want in the first round, and led by a young and talented nucleus, the Hawks look like a soon-to-be perennial contender in the East.
Armed with two first-round picks in this draft, the Hawks have a chance to add even more impressive young talent to a roster oozing with it. Woo has the Hawks drafting Houston's Kingston Flemings with the No. 7 pick, and then following that up by taking Evans at No. 23.
On Evans, Woo said:
"Evans has the makings of a quality wing shooter, with good positional size and the ability to hit tough shots off movement. He took a leap this season with an expanded role at Duke and has starter-level upside if he can be more consistent. He needs to better apply his tools defensively but displayed some growth on that end this season."Jeremy Woo, ESPN
Evans would certainly be in a much better position than his Duke teammate in this mock. Woo has Boozer going No. 3 overall, but to the Brooklyn Nets, who have a much longer path to contention ahead of them. Woo has the Indiana Pacers bypassing Boozer at No. 2 to select Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, though others believe the Pacers would favor Boozer in that exact scenario.
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