The Duke basketball program is gearing up for another Final Four run in 2025-26, and there are a plethora of key returners that head coach Jon Scheyer brought back who will be critical pieces of this season's squad. Potentially the most popular breakout candidate among Duke's returners is sophomore Isaiah Evans, and college basketball insider Jon Rothstein is calling the sharpshooter's breakout. Evans was one of the best three-point shooters in the ACC last year, connecting on 41.6% of his threes on 4.1 attempts a night. Evans will be thrust into a much more elevated role as a sophomore, and he has the potential to skyrocket his 2026 NBA Draft stock with how often he'll be utilized in the offense.
Jon Rothstein calling breakout for Duke basketball sophomore Isaiah Evans
College hoops insider Jon Rothstein recently released his list of 20 breakout players for the 2025-26 season, and he included Evans on the list.
"Evans scored a combined 69 points during a four-game stretch from Feb. 17th to March 1st and fully displayed his offensive potential," Rothstein said. "With Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel no longer in Durham, the 6-6 Evans should seamlessly step into the role of being the Blue Devils’ primary perimeter scoring option in 2025-26."
Evans may not necessarily be one of the primary ball handlers for the Blue Devils this season, but he will undoubtedly be one of the top scoring options for the program. With his outside shooting capability, Scheyer will assuredly run plenty of action for the sophomore to get shots off. With Duke surrounding Evans with other shooters such as Dame Sarr and Nik Khamenia, the floor will be opened up for Evans to get open shots off the ball.
Although Evans has all the tools to be one of the top breakout candidates this season, the 6'6 wing still has room to grow. As a rookie, 81% of Evans' shot attempts and 78% of his makes came from beyond the arc, as the North Carolina native was strictly a 3-and-D guy in the rotation. Now a starter and the potential leader of the offense, Evans will need to vastly improve in his passing and on the defensive side of the ball.