Hot to Go: Isaiah Evans and the next steps for Duke's Microwave Scorer

A complete scouting breakdown of Isaiah Evans — from his off-ball gravity and 3-point movement shooting, to his DHO chemistry with Patrick Ngongba, defensive development and more

Isaiah Evans is one of a kind. The 6-foot-6, 175-pound wing is built to score, and he returns to Duke for the 2025–26 season as one of the most electric offensive talents in college basketball.

Despite playing on a stacked Duke squad that reached the Final Four, Evans earned a spot in the rotation midway through his freshman year — no small feat on a roster filled with 2025 NBA Draft picks and seasoned veterans. He made his mark as a quick-trigger movement shooter, capable of shifting the momentum of a game in an instant. His breakout performance against Auburn — when he came off the bench and lit up the scoreboard with six threes in just 16 minutes — remains one of the season’s most unforgettable moments.

But Evans showed he’s more than just a shooter. While his shot profile leaned heavily toward the perimeter — with 81.4 percent of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc — he embraced the less glamorous aspects of the game to stay on the court. At Duke, there’s no room for one-dimensional players. Everyone must be able to defend, rebound and keep the offense moving. Evans rose to the occasion, making strides as a rebounder, defender and off-ball screener. He earned his spot in the rotation and saw his name gain serious traction as an NBA prospect.

After testing the NBA Draft waters this spring, Isaiah Evans announced his return to Duke — making him one of several key pieces back in the fold for Jon Scheyer. So, what clicked for Evans last season, and where can he grow as his sophomore year approaches? Let’s dive into a scouting report on the man they call Slim.

Quick Numbers: Isaiah Evans

In just under 500 minutes of action, Evans shot 62-of-149 (41.6 3P%) from beyond the arc. When he checked into games, he didn’t hesitate to let it fly. He averaged 12.0 three-point attempts per 40 minutes and 18.1 per 100 possessions — the second-highest rate among high-major players nationally.

Evans was one of four high-major freshmen this season to attempt 10+ 3-point attempts per 100 possessions and shoot 40 percent from beyond the arc — along with Kon Knueppel, Jase Richardson and Wesley Yates III. Going back even further, Evans is one of nine high-major freshmen since the 2007-08 season to shoot above 40 percent from deep on 14+ 3-point attempts per 100 possessions.

According to CBB Analytics, Duke was +273 in the 497 minutes Evans played last season, posting a sizzling offensive rating of 133 points per 100 possessions — up from 125.9 with him on the bench. Admittedly, some of those minutes came during late-game stretches of blowout wins, so the numbers come with a slight caveat. Still, the impact is clear: with Evans on the floor, 50 percent of Duke’s field goal attempts came from beyond the arc (compared to 42 percent without him), and the team knocked down 40.5 percent of those threes — up from 37.5 percent when he was off — ranking in the 99th percentile nationally.

Snapping and Clapping: Movement Shooting

What makes Evans such an intriguing long-term prospect is his ability to shoot off hard movement. While he certainly benefited from open catch-and-shoot looks created by Cooper Flagg, Sion James and Knueppel — who combined to assist on 33 of his 79 fields — Evans also demonstrated the ability to shoot with pace, range and precision while on the move.

On this possession, Duke runs its “Floppy” action out of its typical 5-out spacing setup: center Khaman Maluach is spaced to the left wing, with Flagg orchestrating from the middle of the floor. Mason Gillis fakes and slips a down screen for Evans, then runs off a pindown from Caleb Foster. As Gillis cuts right, Evans darts in the opposite direction, sprinting off Maluach’s down screen and curling into the catch with sharp footwork, squaring himself to the rim and creating separation.

It’s one thing for a freshman to shoot over 40 percent from three on high volume, but it’s another level entirely to do it off movement, especially at 6-foot-6.

This is Duke’s “Down Flare” action, again out of the same 5-out spacing setup — Flagg operating in the middle and Maluach spaced to the left wing. Maluach sets the initial down screen for Evans, who comes out of the corner to receive a pass from James. Evans fakes a handoff back to James, who then wheels around Maluach and clears to the right corner, leaving the left side empty. Evans swings the ball to Flagg, then cuts back to his original spot — sprinting to the now-vacant left corner off a flare screen from Maluach.

Like Jared McCain and Kon Knueppel, Evans excelled in this play, consistently finding space off the flare screen to let it fly from deep.

Evans may be slender, but he battles off the ball to create separation and clean catch-and-shoot opportunities. In this sequence against Louisville, he’s matched up with 5th-year senior J’Vonne Hadley, a bruising 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward. Knueppel rejects the initial “Wide” screen for Ngongba, which is followed by a wide pindown for Evans. Hadley gets over the top on Evans, but the freshman doesn’t back down — using a swim move and a subtle shove to create space. Evans then runs off Ngongba’s pindown and fades behind the screen as Hadley tries to fight through.

While Evans can be electric shooting off designed plays, he also has a strong feel for finding looks as an off-ball target within the offense’s rhythm. He’s adept at hunting unscripted spot-up 3s as well. Most importantly, his motor is always running — Evans is in constant motion off the ball.

In transition against Auburn, Flagg gets the possession started with a perfect cross-court skip pass that hits Foster for an open corner 3-point attempt. Knueppel crashes down and snags the offensive rebound off the miss — immediately kick-out to Evans. Auburn’s defense closes out on Evans. To counter, Evans attacks the closeout and puts the ball on the deck. Johni Broome (4) steps up to help in the lane, which leaves Maliq Brown open for a second. After sliding in a tricky pass to Brown, Evans takes advantage of a scrambled defense and never steps moving — flowing from a live-ball pass directly into a relocation 3-pointer in the corner — thanks to a little give-and-go passing sequence with Brown.

Here, Duke runs its “Wide” action — starting with a down screen from Maluach for Knueppel in early offense, followed by a step-up re-screen between the same two players. As Maluach rolls to the rim, Miami’s weak-side defender must collapse and help in the paint. Evans could have stayed stagnant in the weak-side corner, but instead of waiting for Knueppel to find him over the top, he relocates from the corner to the wing, putting himself into Knueppel’s passing window. Evans jabs off the catch and then fires a three right over the shorter Jalil Bethea (3).

Evans can also use spot-up catches to create advantages and open passing lanes. With plenty of hard closeouts coming his way this season, he’ll have opportunities to attack off the catch.

On this play, Duke runs “Stack Chin” pick-and-roll for Flagg — with Brown setting the Chin back screen for Proctor and lifting to set a ball screen for Flagg. Virginia Tech blitzes Flagg, leaving Brown open on the short roll. Brown draws a crowd on the catch and kicks it to Evans in the corner. Even with a great athlete like Tobi Lawal (1) closing out, Evans could have taken the three — instead, he opts to shot fake, attack downhill, draw in multiple defenders and turn a good look into a great one by kicking out to an open Proctor for a wing 3.

With his length and lightning-quick release, Evans has a shot that’s difficult for defenders to contest, especially when they’re chasing the sinewy shooter through a series of screens. Given the premium placed on 3-point shooting, Evans already has a clear path to becoming an impactful college player and a legitimate NBA prospect. So, where can he grow from here?

Shoot for the stardom

During his freshman season, Knueppel showcased an outstanding compilation of shooting touch, feel, strength, multi-level scoring and passing. This package of skills turned Kon into one of the best offensive players in the country and a Top 4 pick in the 2025 Draft. Scheyer featured Knueppel in a variety of play types, but his off-ball motion was crucial for bending defenses, creating advantages and loosening up the middle of the floor for Flagg.

Knueppel was a machine flying off different actions in Duke’s 5-out offense. To go along with his shooting touch and footwork, Knueppel could use his low center of gravity to drive downhill against aggressive closeouts or his passing feel to punish defenses that committed two defenders to the ball.

Evans weighs about 40 pounds less than Knueppel, and it’s difficult to replicate that level of passing feel; however, he possesses the shooting gravity to pull defenses apart. To fully maximize his potential as an off-ball mover, Evans must develop more ways to create offense when defenses collapse on his shot.

There were glimpses last season of Evans doing more than just shooting off screens. The question now is whether he can meaningfully expand that skill set while taking on a larger playmaking role in the 2025–26 season.

For example, here’s a beautiful curl from Evans on a 5-out down screen from Ngongba. As his defender trails from behind, Evans catches the ball in stride, takes one dribble and curls downhill for a layup.

Georgia Tech’s center doesn’t sink deep enough into the lane on drop coverage, and with Knueppel and Proctor spaced out on the weak side, the lane opens up. Still, Evans does well to explode downhill and finish at the rim.

Evans can and should use his length as a weapon for interior finishes, but he’ll need to improve his ability to handle size and physicality in the paint.

Duke runs the same “Down Flare” action for Evans again at Boston College. This time, the Eagles switch, taking away an open 3-point look for Evans but opening a driving lane against the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Chad Venning (32). Evans turns the corner on the bigger Venning, but as he attacks the baseline, he tries to finish quickly while avoiding contact. He goes up with his inside hand, but Venning manages to smack the ball off the glass.

He has good touch (81.2 FT%), but Evans needs to show more consistency in the midrange. According to CBB Analytics, he shot just 2-of-9 on 2-point attempts outside the paint last season. While that’s a small sample size, it highlights the need for him to find a better rhythm in those areas.

Evans curls off the “Wide” action, running off a down screen from Maluach and creating separation from Drake Powell (9). However, with Ven-Allen Lubin (22) caught off-line and lunging toward him, Evans should consider taking a second dribble to attack the rim or decelerate and work with his floater/runner game.

Outside of Flagg, Duke’s offense last season featured relatively little midrange shooting; according to CBB Analytics, 77.3 percent of the team’s field goal attempts came either at the rim or from beyond the arc. With a larger role, Evans’ shot selection is likely to become more varied next season. If he can slow down in these situations and leverage his length and touch, Evans will expand his shot profile and make it harder for defenders to take him out of his game.

As Evans’ scoring threat grows, so will his playmaking opportunities. His shooting gravity can shift defenses and force help rotations, but he’ll need more experience as a passer to fully exploit those openings.

Here’s the same 5-out pindown action for Evans, with Brown screening and Cal center Lee Dort (34) in deep drop coverage. Cal always plays deep drop, so Evans knows when he curls this screen, he’ll have space in the middle of the floor. With his defender chasing behind him, Evans will get to initiate a quick 2-on-1 with Brown on Dort.

For this to work, though, Evans either needs to be able to curl and score off the catch in the midrange, finish at the rim over a good shot blocker or force Dort to take a step or two up the line, thus opening up Brown on the dive. Evans takes one quick dribble and Dort stunts in his direction, which causes Evans to telegraph a lob pass without getting Dort off his line. Dort is able to navigate the middle ground area, stay in front of the rim and deflect the lob pass for a turnover.

If Evans can take one more dribble, or simulate the motion of a runner, it may cause the center to leave his position and open things up for the roller.

It was exciting to see moments of growth from Evans throughout last season. Not long after these matchups against Cal and at UNC, Duke faced the Tar Heels again in the ACC Tournament. Once again, Evans curls off a wide pindown with Powell trailing from behind. This time, however, Evans drives deeper into the paint; Lubin has a foot inside the restricted area as Evans rises, ready to loft a lob pass to Ngongba.

One night later in the ACC Tournament title game against Louisville, Duke runs its standard 5-out down screen action for Evans — with Maluach spaced on the left wing — which flows into a re-screen step-up ball screen between Evans and Maluach. Louisville switches the action, but Maluach has inside leverage on Noah Waterman (93) and Evans finds him in a tight window with nifty bounce pass. Man Man can’t capitalize with the Cards help defense collapsing on him, but the execution of the pass from Evans is notable.

DHO game and connection with Ngongba

Another key element of Evans’ movement offense is the dribble handoff, which creates opportunities to shoot from deep off the catch or put the ball on the floor and make a play. With Cam Boozer, Ngongba and Brown, Duke boasts a trio of high-feel frontcourt playmakers. The offense should lean on these three as playmaking hubs — facilitating from the elbows, initiating 5-out sets at the top of the key and running creative inverted actions. Evans moves well without the ball and can score off screens and handoffs, positioning him to generate significant offense in tandem with Ngongba, Boozer and Brown. The same can be said for Darren Harris, another skilled off-ball mover with shooting touch.

There’s a natural fit between the frontcourt handoff hub and the quick-trigger guard movement shooter, but it’s clear that Evans and Ngongba share excellent chemistry. Ngongba posted a 12.7 percent assist rate last season, dishing out 23 assists to just seven turnovers — a very impressive ratio. Eight of those assists went to Evans, the most of any teammate, resulting in 21 total points.

When opponents defend the pick-and-roll or handoff exchanges with drop coverage — positioning their center several feet below the screen or handoff — Ngongba and Evans work effectively as a duo. As soon as Evans receives the handoff from Ngongba, there’s no immediate help defender, since the opposing big man has dropped into the paint.

This puts a lot of stress on the defender chasing Evans to fight around screens and contest his shot from behind. That’s a tough task against the 6-foot-6 Evans, especially with the 6-foot-11, 250-pound Ngongba clearing space as a screener.

On this possession, Duke runs a 5-out “Zoom” action for Evans against Arizona. As Ngongba initiates, Evans comes off a down screen from James and immediately receives a handoff from Ngongba, while Arizona center Tobe Awaka (30) is dropped below the foul line. Ngongba then screens KJ Lewis (5), allowing Evans to get an uncontested three-pointer — which he drains.

Another way Duke likes to attack drop coverage with handoffs is from its Zipper (“L”) series. The possession will start with Knueppel and Evans in opposite corners. Knueppel kicks things off by running up the middle of the lane off of screens from the 4 and 5. On this play, instead of throwing the ball to Knueppel, who cuts to the right wing, Ngongba will lift up to the middle of the floor and receive a pass. Now, the Blue Devils have another 5-out look. As Ngongba looks to the right side, Evans raises from the corner and sets a flare screen for Knueppel.

If Knueppel is open off the flare screen, Ngongba can pass it to him over the top. This play builds into screen-for-the screener action, though, for Evans. The next progression comes with Evans sprinting from setting the pick for Knueppel into a handoff with Ngongba. Syracuse center Naheem McLeod (10) is in drop coverage, again taking away an immediate potential help defender. The 6-foot-2 Kyle Cuffe (0) chases Evans through the action, but he gets chipped by Ngongba’s screen and is unable to contest the taller Evans.

Duke runs the same set against Illinois, with center Tomislav Ivisic (13) positioned deep in the paint below the screen. The key difference: instead of setting a flare screen for Knueppel, Evans slips the screen, freezing his defender, Will Riley (7), and quickly sprints into a handoff with Ngongba. As always, Evans’ footwork on these quick catch-and-shoot play types is perfect. He’s on balance with his feet squared to the rim.

In the second half vs. Illinois, Duke runs the same action again. This time, Evans sets the flare screen for Knueppel, catching the Illinois defense off guard as he curls tightly off the handoff and attacks the rim for a finish.

Not every team defends these actions with drop coverage, and Evans’ shooting ability can draw a second defender to the ball. When that happens, he has shown flashes of quickly moving off the ball and hitting the screener with pocket passes to initiate short-roll action. This could become a valuable connection with the skilled bigs on the roster: Boozer, Ngongba, and Brown can all create damage on the short roll — either by exploiting the advantage and making timely passes to open teammates or by looking to score in those pockets of space.

Down at Miami, Duke initiates the action with an empty-side ball screen between Knueppel and Flagg. Knueppel drives right and skips the ball back left to Ngongba — who is spaced out on the left wing near the elbow. This pass triggers the next progression: Duke’s flash game, with Evans cutting into a handoff with Ngongba. Miami center Lynn Kidd (1) stays at the level of the screen but lunges toward Evans, leaving Ngongba open on the short roll. Evans isn’t yet fully comfortable throwing these pocket passes with his left hand, but he manages to squeeze this one through to Ngongba, who attracts weak-side defenders into the lane and kicks out to Flagg for an open 3-point attempt.

UNC increased ball pressure in the second half of their ACC Tournament matchup. Here, Lubin blitzes Evans on a screen from Ngongba, and rather than forcing a play, Evans quickly finds Ngongba on the short roll. This creates a 4-on-3 advantage, and with Lubin pulled above the arc, UNC is left without rim protection. Ngongba recognizes the opportunity and attacks the rim against Seth Trimble (7).

This is an aggressive drive from Evans as he curls the Zoom action with Brown. Despite Pitt applying a two-man trap, Evans manages to turn the corner and get downhill. What could have been an open layup is contested by Zack Austin (55), who peels off Knueppel and makes a strong play at the rim to alter Evans’ shot.

My guess is that Duke’s staff would view this as a positive play from Evans. Ultimately, he made the correct read — there’s an open lane to the hoop. However, with two defenders converging on him, Evans could have improved the play by getting the ball off quickly to find Brown on the short roll, creating another 4-on-3 opportunity, or to Knueppel, who ends up wide open on the wing as the defense collapses.

Evans sometimes gets sped up in these situations. While it’s beneficial to get the ball off quickly, the passes still need to be delivered with proper timing and placement. Against Seattle, Evans has Ngongba open for a brief moment on the short roll, but he skips his pass too low. Although Ngongba has phenomenal hands, even he can’t control the ball on the move, leading to a turnover.

This is fixable. With more reps and confidence passing with his left hand, Evans can improve. The key is that he at least recognizes these reads.

The more Evans can draw two defenders and get the ball off quickly, the more ball movement it creates for the Blue Devils — opening up 4-on-3 opportunities, side-to-side action and spot-up 3-pointers. This is the blend Duke wants on offense.

Here, Evans runs off more 5-out Zoom action against Louisville. The Cardinals blitz Evans as he exits the handoff with Maluach, applying two defenders on the ball. However, Waterman stays with Maluach on the roll, leaving Proctor open for a wing 3. Evans makes the simple, correct read without trying to do too much.

Of course, Evans should look to attack the basket when gaps open up. He’ll need to improve his confidence and finishing ability around contested shots in the paint. According to CBB Analytics, Evans attempted only 18 field goals at the rim — fewer than 10 percent of his total attempts — but made 12 of them (66.7 FG%). He was also 3-of-7 on 2-point attempts in the paint but away from the rim. This is a growth opportunity for Evans.

Any juice left in the can?

As Duke reshapes its roster, a significant amount of playmaking talent is on the way out: Flagg, Knueppel, Proctor and James are all gone. Foster returns with a major opportunity, while Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr bring additional playmaking craft. Once again, the frontcourt will need to shoulder a large share of the offensive initiation. Evans can still be a major offensive weapon even if he simply doubles down on being a pure movement shooter. That said, it’ll be interesting to see whether Slim has more playmaking upside when given opportunities on the ball.

During his freshman year, Evans recorded just 14 unassisted field goals; over 82 percent of his makes were assisted, including 90.3 percent of his three-pointers. Given his role and Duke’s half-court system (58.5 percent team assist rate), that’s not particularly surprising. Playing primarily off the catch, Evans was a low-mistake player, posting a turnover rate of just 10 percent. That said, he still finished with only two more assists (18) than turnovers (16).

The setup is different now. Evans will take on a larger role with increased on-ball responsibilities. It’s a safe bet he’ll score more in the midrange and off the dribble, while also seeing more pure playmaking opportunities. The potential impact of that expanded creation is what’s most intriguing.

While Evans wasn’t a high-volume pick-and-roll initiator last season, he showed the ability to hunt his own offense from deep in those situations. Unsurprisingly, if defenders go under screens against him, he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger from the Land of 3.

If defenses switch pick-and-roll actions with Evans as the initiator, those switches need to be sharp. If the defender is even a step late, Evans is ready to fire. As a natural scorer, he also understands some of darks arts of scoring — using subtle moves to draw contact and generate fouls on shot attempts.

Evans has a high release point, which allows him to shoot over the top of contests. Combined with the threat of his pull-up three, he can use hang dribbles and hesitation moves to get defenders off balance and attack their feet.

For example, late in a blowout win over Stanford, Evans receives the ball on the right wing. As he begins to size up the defense, he hits Ryan Agarwal (11) with a hesitation move. Agarwal anticipates a pull-up 3, but Evans sells the fake with a subtle head nod, keeps his dribble alive and glides past him for a runner over the contest.

Evans uses the same move here to score off the dribble in the NCAA Tournament against Mount St. Mary’s. On this play, it’s a bit easier: Evans is just able to shoot right over the shorter defender.

While Evans doesn’t possess elite north-south burst to consistently blow by defenders for rim finishes, he can still create separation against switches. Here, he gets Kidd on a switch and creates space for a step-back midrange jumper — a shot that figures to become a bigger part of his arsenal in Year 2.

Recent Washington Wizards draft pick Jamir Watkins (1), one of the ACC’s top wing defenders in recent years, switches onto Evans on this possession. Evans uses his left arm to hook and gain leverage, swimming past the veteran defender and getting into the paint. From there, he does an excellent job coming to a controlled jump stop and playing off two feet, which keeps Watkins out of the play and forces Christian Nitu (11) to step up — leaving Ngongba open in the restricted area for an easy finish.

Late in the game against Virginia Tech, Duke goes 5-out and empties the right side of the floor to run Evans off a flare screen from Gillis, while Harris cuts to the left corner off a down screen. Ben Hammond (11) stays attached to Evans through the screen, leaving no space for a catch-and-shoot 3. Evans then sizes up the shorter defender and uses a stutter rip move — manipulating the ball side to side in his hands before driving past the off-balance Hammond. As Evans attacks, the Hokies collapse, and he finds Gillis on the kick-out for a wing three.

Evans is slender and plays with a high center of gravity, which can create challenges when slashing downhill through contact. It’s encouraging that he has the mindset to pressure the paint, but he would benefit from leaning into his length and craft — slowing down and better managing his drives through traffic.

Evans is crafty, ultra-competitive, and unafraid of physical play — particularly along the perimeter, whether he's battling through off-ball screens or attacking defenders off balance. While he was primarily used as a catch-and-shoot threat last season, getting to the free throw line more often will be key in his sophomore year. He posted a free throw rate of just 17.5 percent and drew only 11 shooting fouls — numbers that need to climb as his offensive role expands.

Now, it’s up to Duke’s player development staff and system to help Evans get stronger and more powerful, enabling him to finish through contact when driving downhill.

Continuous Improvement meets Continuous Movement: Evans as a screener

Players like Evans — talented 3-point shooters who move well without the ball — should prioritize setting good screens. These actions put defenders in tough positions, forcing quick decisions on rotations and creating openings elsewhere on the floor. In basketball, the ball has energy. Players who pass willingly, move off the ball, trust their teammates and set effective screens are often rewarded when the ball finds its way back to them for open shots.

With three minutes left in a blowout win over Wake Forest, many players might be chasing stats or looking to score. Instead, Evans focuses on making the right play and setting up a teammate. As James and Ngongba run a pick-and-roll on the right side, Duke spaces three players to the left. Wake Forest has two defenders on the ball as James dribbles left, pulling Tre’Von Spillers (25) along the baseline to tag Ngongba on the roll. This leaves two weak-side defenders to cover three excellent spot-up shooters: Evans, Mason Gillis and Harris.

Instead of staying stationary, Evans moves smartly — cutting in from the left wing to set a flare/pin-in screen on Parker Friedrichsen (7). This action helps create an open corner 3-point opportunity for Harris when James skips a pass over the top.

A similar scenario unfolds against George Mason. James pushes the ball up the floor in transition and swings it left to Foster, who catches in space off a flare screen from Brown — a key element of Duke’s secondary offense and spacing strategy. Foster gets a switch and drives downhill. Evans calls for a kick-out pass to the corner, but as Foster attacks the paint, he instead passes back to James. As George Mason’s defense scrambles to recover, Evans spots an opportunity and signals for James to kick the ball back out to Foster in the corner — while Evans sets another flare/pin-in screen to free up the open shot.

Foster misses the shot, but it’s a great spot-up opportunity, created with help from Evans, who doesn’t even touch the ball on this possession but has a substantial impact. Beyond the game-breaking sharpshooting, it’s plays like this that make a coaching staff and scouts take notice. This is playing the game the right way.

On this after-timeout play vs. Louisville, Duke runs what I refer to as its “Thru Punch” action. It’s a designed 4-around-1 post-up set for Ngongba. James starts the possession by passing to Proctor on the wing and then cutting “thru” the lane to the opposite wing. As this happens, Evans cuts in for the left corner and sets a cross screen along the baseline, which helps Ngongba establish deep post position.

Next, the Blue Devils run what I call their “Strong Ram” pick-and-roll action against Wake Forest. Evans runs off staggered down screens from James and Ngongba before moving into an inverted ball screen with Flagg. Wake Forest doesn’t want to switch the smaller Friedrichsen onto Flagg; as Evans sets the pick, Friedrichsen steps up toward Flagg to buy time for Spillers to recover to the ball. However, Evans quickly transitions from setting the pick to popping out to the wing.

This was one of Flagg’s 15 assists to Evans last season. With Cam Boozer now in Durham as the offense’s primary hub, Duke should look into more of these types of inverted screening actions: Boozer initiating as a ball handler and Evans popping into space.

Defense: On Ball and Team Concepts

The defensive side of the floor is another area where added strength would greatly benefit Evans. A more powerful frame would improve his individual on-ball defense, particularly his ability to navigate screens when Duke employs drop coverage. Last season: older, heavier players were able to get into his body and attack him on drives or in the post. In this example, fifth-year senior Matt Cross (33) of SMU rejects a ball screen and drives right through Evans, finishing at the rim and drawing the foul.

As their base defense, the Blue Devils switch 1-4. In certain matchups and situations, Duke will switch 1-5 — especially when Brown, an excellent perimeter defender, is playing at center. As a wing, Evans must be ready to size up or down, whether guarding quicker guards 25+ feet from the rim or battling frontcourt players in the post.

Lawal (6-8, 200) gets Evans on a switch here, and immediately seals in the paint, shoving Evans out of the way for a post-up finish.

That said, Duke’s staff can count on Evans to compete hard. He clearly wants to improve on this side of the floor, and with his length, Evans can be disruptive — whether defending smaller players or providing help defense in the gaps. Again, he’ll fight in the post.

RJ Davis (4) gets a switch against Evans and tries to isolate on the younger defender. Evans takes this challenge personally and does an excellent job funneling Davis to his weaker hand, staying in front of him laterally, absorbing the push and forcing Davis to pass out.

A few minutes later, Powell (6-6, 195) tries to isolate on the left side of the floor against Evans, who isn’t having it. Evans delivers a solid defensive effort, mirroring the recent NBA draft pick and strongly contesting a difficult fadeaway jumper.

Working against Stanford point guard Jaylen Blakes, Evans is able to hang with the former Blue Devils for multiple dribbles and changes of direction — again sticking with his guy and using his length to contest a tough midrange shot.

Beyond his 1-on-1 defense, Evans began cultivating strong habits as a team defender last season. It’s the attention to detail—the things that don’t always show up in the box score—that matters most. As his playing time increased, Evans consistently hit the right notes in managing his assignments and executing Duke’s defensive scheme.

Evans is switched away from the ball onto Boston College’s Venning, who outweighs him by nearly 100 pounds. As the shot goes up, Evans quickly turns and boxes out the bigger offensive player.

When Ishmael Leggett (5) launches a 3-pointer at Duke, Evans quickly locates his matchup — grizzled sixth-year senior Damian Dunn (1) — and boxes him out to secure a contested rebound.

Duke doubles the post against Miami on this possession. Under pressure, Kidd attempts to skip the ball across the court, but James deflects the pass. Austin Swartz (23) recovers the loose ball and looks to capitalize against a scrambled defense; however, Slim quickly covers ground, gets to the other side of the rim and contests the shot with impressive verticality, altering it and forcing a miss.

Syracuse runs “Spain” pick-and-roll action on this possession. As JJ Starling (2) dribbles right, Evans sags in the paint to help Brown on Lampkin’s roll — with Elijah Moore (8) setting the back screen. After he screens for Lampkin, Moore pops out to the top of the key, looking for a catch-and-shoot triple. For a moment, he has space for a shot, but Evans closes the ground quickly and extends to block the 3-point attempt.

In retrospect, Moore should’ve used a shot fake here on Evans, but that’s still a really good effort on the closeout.

Evans didn’t generate many defensive plays last season, finishing with seven steals and three blocks — resulting in a steal rate and block rate of just 0.7 percent each. These are low numbers for a wing with his length. However, these metrics are worth monitoring this season. While he may not be a defensive playmaker, Evans does a few things well and occasionally flashes strong defensive awareness.

TJ Power (23) dribbles middle here against Duke, which causes Foster to dig and help at the nail. As that happens, Anthony Robinson (21) sets a flare screen for Ishan Sharma (9), Foster’s initial assignment. Sharma is a good shooter, but Evans denies him a clean catch-and-shoot look as he sees the action developing and races up from the corner for an impromptu switch. Sharma is able to fake and dribble around Evans, but he doesn’t create any real separation. Evans is able to recover and block the step-back 3-point attempt.

Of the three blocks Evans recorded last season, two came on 3-pointers — ranking third on the roster behind, of course, Flagg (7) and Brown (3). This is potentially an important indicator for Evans.

You rarely see this level of aggressive double-teaming from Scheyer’s defense — pouncing on a live-ball driver — but as Ian Jackson (11) drives against Knueppel, Evans sprints in, leaving Powell in the strong-side corner with a hard dig on Jackson. The result is a turnover, as Jackson never sees Evans coming. Evans displays excellent hustle, poking the ball free and diving to deflect it away from Powell, allowing Knueppel to secure the loose ball.

There’s still work to be done on the defensive side of the floor, but Evans demonstrated the effort and attention to detail needed to earn his spot in the rotation last season. He handled his defensive assignments well enough to let his jump shot do the talking on offense.

With increased responsibilities in the 2025-26 season, Evans must keep refining his game — not just for his time at Duke, but also for the professional opportunities that lie ahead. If he continues on this path, he could become a key two-way contributor for the Blue Devils and beyond.