2025 NBA Draft: Isaiah Evans is a Big-Time Scoring Threat

The Duke commit has real upside as a scoring wing at both the collegiate and NBA levels.

Apr 1, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; McDonald's All American East forward Isaiah Evans (0) in action during the dunk competition during the 2024 McDonalds High School All American Powerade Jam Fest at Delmar Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

The Duke recruiting class this year was truly insane – headlined by the obvious in Cooper Flagg, but also including Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, and the subject of this piece, McDonald's All-American Isaiah Evans.

He's drawn comparisons to NBA star Brandon Ingram due to not just his playing style, but his frame, as he stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 175 pounds. Though he will have to pack on more weight, his ability to move around the floor works to his advantage as he hunts his shots.

His best ability on the floor is his shotmaking prowess, as he is able to get great looks off of screens, with or without the ball in his hands. He can hit movement shots as well as shoot off the bounce, making him a truly diverse scorer in that sense. He hit 37.3% of his three-point attempts at North Mecklenburg (NC) according to Synergy Sports, and 33.3% off of the bounce in the sample provided.

He has a solid functional handle and can get around opposing players, though he is not an elite athlete in the same vein as Ace Bailey who can power his way to the rim. He also lacks the first-step burst that some similar prospects have, but his ability to pull up helps to remedy this problem.

His 48-point outburst against Myers Park (NC) in the state playoffs was a masterclass in bucket-getting, as he did so in multiple ways throughout the game. He scored on isolation pull-ups, dunked in transition, attacked closeouts and drove the rim, and had some really acrobatic finishes, including a very impressive up-and-under move on the fast break. Though he settled for some tough shots, his biggest area for improvement on offense, he made many of them. His shot selection needs work in order to up his efficiency, but the ability is there.

He also demonstrated a burgeoning ability to facilitate, finding spot-up shooters both off the dribble and from a stationary position at the top of the arc. Overall, he showed an elite ability on the offensive end of the floor, one that will easily translate to Duke and beyond.

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