Duke's Isaiah Evans Announces Future Plans

Duke Sophomore Shooting Guard Isaiah Evans Declares for 2026 NBA Draft

Evans has officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft after two seasons with the Blue Devils. The 6'6" wing averaged 15.0 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field and 36.1% shooting from three on 7.4 attempts a night this past season.

The sharpshooter's decision, along with that of sophomore Patrick Ngongba, felt truly up in the air whether they would be back in Durham in 2026-27 or head to the NBA. Both are projected late first-round picks in this summer's draft, but in this NIL era of college basketball, that is no longer an automatic decider for a player to declare.

At Evans' current draft projection, around picks 22-30, he will likely earn anywhere from $2 million to $4 million on his rookie NBA salary in his first season. If he returned to the Blue Devils as a junior, that paycheck could have very well been higher.

Nonetheless, when it is all said and done, Evans will make the leap to the NBA while Ngongba remains at Duke for another season.

Evans projects as a stellar 3-and-D wing at the next level, with a long wingspan and the ability to get hot from the perimeter at any time. Additionally, Evans greatly expanded his offensive arsenal as a sophomore, developing a knack for getting to the basket and finishing through contact.

Across his freshman year with Duke, 82% of Evans' shot attempts and 78% of his makes came from three. Despite his scoring skill set being much more diverse in 2025-26, Evans still knocked down 101 threes on a 36% clip.

Duke's Current Additions and Returners

As it currently stands, Duke has returned Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Sebastian Wilkins, and Ngongba. Additionally, it has landed former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski and former star Wisconsin guard John Blackwell via the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils still await the decision of freshman Dame Sarr, but the expectation is that he will return for another season. Cameron Boozer has yet to announce it, but he will almost definitely declare for the NBA Draft.