The Duke basketball program didn’t lose all that much of its production from the 2025-26 season, at least relative to what fans have been used to over the years.
Over the last decade or so, Duke has revolved its rotation around high-end freshman talent, then it loses most of it after a year, then reloads with the next bunch of elite young talent. This offseason was different.
Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff are returning four of their top six scorers from a season ago in Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Patrick Ngongba, and Dame Sarr. However, Duke lost its top two scorers, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans.
Advertisement
Boozer, the National Player of the Year, was a lock to enter the 2026 NBA Draft as a consensus top-three prospect. Evans had a much more intriguing decision to make as a projected late-first-round selection.
May 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Cameron Boozer participates in the 2026 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
Evans and Ngongba had virtually the same decision to mull over. Both were projected late-first-rounders and very well could’ve earned bigger paychecks at the college level next season compared to their first-year NBA salaries at their current draft projection.
When it was all said and done, Ngongba chose to return to school, while Evans chose to make the leap to the NBA. Evans has now confirmed his future status.
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) dribbles the ball past St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Isaiah Evans Confirms Plans To Remain in 2026 NBA Draft
There was never any real debate whether Evans would come back to Durham or not, but according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, the 6’6″ wing has now confirmed he will remain in this summer’s draft.
Advertisement
“Isaiah Evans closed the door on a return to college. ‘I’m fully in,’ Evans said,” According to Borzello.
“He added he’s had no conversations with Duke about a return.”
Considering the plethora of additions that the Blue Devils made this offseason, now boasting arguably the deepest rotation in the sport heading into next season, it became pretty obvious that Evans wouldn’t return, and even if he wanted to at this point, there wouldn’t be much room.
Along with the returners from last year’s squad, Duke is bringing in the No. 1 overall 2026 recruiting class as well as two big-name transfers in John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont.
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) shoots the ball past St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
How Does Isaiah Evans Project at the Next Level?
Evans will be a lengthy 3-and-D wing at the NBA level, capable of getting hot from the perimeter at any given moment. As a sophomore with the Blue Devils, the North Carolina native averaged 15.0 points on 36.1% shooting from three-point range on 7.4 attempts a night.
Advertisement
Now, how Evans boosted his draft stock is that he expanded his offensive game quite a bit, displaying a newfound ability to create his own shot and attack the rim, in addition to improving defensively.
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; IDuke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) shoots the ball against the St. John’s Red Storm in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
As a rookie at Duke, 81% of Evans’s shot attempts and 78% of his makes came from the perimeter. As a sophomore in an expanded role, 65% of his attempts and 54% of his makes were threes.
Evans seems to comfortably be in first-round status as he moves through the NBA Combine.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Isaiah Evans Confirms Future Plans to Duke Fans.
