Where you land matters. Isaiah Evans may have dropped into day two of the 2026 NBA Draft, but where he landed is a perfect fit. The Minnesota Timberwolves ended up acquiring him in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, who used the No. 33 overall pick on him. Evans showed signs of promise at Duke, but his largely unrefined game played a part in falling down the draft board. Minnesota did not blink.
Minnesota has won at least one playoff series in each of its last three trips to the postseason. The Timberwolves had made the playoffs each of the last five years. While Evans may not be the piece to get them over the top and into the NBA Finals, his skill set is exactly what this team needs. He should be afforded opportunities to grow out on the wing under Chris Finch. He will find a role in Minnesota.
One ACC coach told ESPN's Jeff Borzello that he is the type of player built for postseason basketball.
"He's big, athletic, can shoot, can guard," an ACC coach said. "I think that dude is going to help a playoff team within a couple of years. He's got legit size, he's a little bit thin, but he can guard, he can shoot. Like, if you're comparing Isaiah Evans to Meleek Thomas, I don't think it's that close."
With Minnesota being deep at point guard, having a player with room to grow out on the wing in Evans is a huge get for the Timberwolves. He is a player who should have come off the board in the 20s. Instead, he ended up going to a team that has been a top-eight franchise in the sport for the better part of an Olympiad. Smart teams build methodically through the draft by acquiring underrated talent.
Evans has already found the ideal mentor for him in The Twin Cities in the form of Jaden McDaniels.
Minnesota Timberwolves will allow Isaiah Evans to grow and prosper
From a physical standpoint, Evans has the range and length to be an effective 3-and-D guy in the NBA. Of course, he must evolve his offensive game, as well as get more disciplined on the defensive end of the floor. The great news for him is that he will be going to a team where his role will be clearly defined. His talent should afford him to get some early minutes, but he must make the most of them.
By getting a first-round talent in the second, Minnesota has all the leverage to tap into the player development side of his game. Under Jon Scheyer, Duke continues to send players to the league the NBA really wants at the high end. However, he is not quite there in getting the most out of his talent for as long as it is in Durham. Evans is a perfect example of this. Finch inherits a ball of clay to shape.
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Should he play with a chip on his shoulder, Evans can achieve all of his untapped potential for Minnesota. Because he plays a fun brand of basketball, he could quickly become a fan favorite and feed off the crowd's energy, one made 3-pointer at a time. Minnesota is a lot of things as a basketball franchise, but a boring one is not one of them. Evans' ethos seems to find this team like hand in glove.
Overall, Evans has the potential to make many teams that passed on him look stupid. Minnesota could have potentially taken him at No. 28 if not for the trade with Brooklyn in the Julius Randle deal. Clearly, Minnesota had a plan in place for Evans. It took a little bit longer than expected to get him to the Twin Cities, but this draft pick has the chance to help Minnesota go even further in the playoffs.
He may not have been a first-rounder, but Minnesota seems to view Evans as one after acquiring him.
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