Duke’s Isaiah Evans lands with Minnesota in Round 2 of the NBA draft
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It took a little longer than he had hoped, but Duke’s Isaiah Evans has his landing spot in the NBA draft.
The sophomore guard is heading to Minnesota, the move coming after the Brooklyn Nets selected Evans with the 33rd overall pick in Wednesday night’s second round with a pick that will be shipped to the Timberwolves as part of a pre-draft trade.
The 6-foot-6, 186-pound Evans had a seat in the green room through Tuesday’s first round, but ultimately spent a difficult night without hearing his name called by league commissioner Adam Silver to join him on stage in New York.
Evans wasn’t among the list of attending prospects released by the NBA for Round 2.
Evans worked as an off-the-ball floor spacer with the ability to heat up from outside in a hurry while shooting 38% from behind the arc through two seasons. And he was considered a possible first-round prospect even before he elevated his game as a full-time starter in his sophomore season.
The first glimpse at his potential came when, out of nowhere, he hit six 3-pointers in the first half of a marquee matchup against Auburn as a freshman reserve for a team that went on to reach the Final Four. He followed that by averaging 15 points and having 14 games with at least four 3s, a run that included going for a career-best 32 points with seven 3-pointers in an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament win against Florida State.
He also had a highlight moment early in the season with a clutch final-minute winner to beat reigning national champion Florida.
The most pressing concern about him was the need to add strength to a slim frame to handle the physical play at the next level.
While falling out of the first round was a disappointment, Evans won’t have to look far for inspiration when it comes to second-round picks who have gone on to NBA success. There’s a long line of stories like those of Denver Nuggets star and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic arriving in the league as the No. 41 overall pick in 2014.
Or, there’s New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who earlier this month led the franchise to its first world championship since 1973.
His draft spot? Same as Evans, No. 33 overall in 2018.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba