DURHAM — There’s a good chance Isaiah Evans would’ve heard his name called at some point during the 2025 NBA Draft.
A 6-foot-6 wing who showed off his impressive 3-point shooting as a freshman for Duke basketball, the 19-year-old Evans has the frame and projectible traits to be a successful pro.
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But Evans pulled out of the draft process in mid-May, opting to return to the Blue Devils as one of five key returners and a possible starter for fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer. Conversations with Scheyer – centered around truth and candid feedback – apparently showed Evans it wasn’t the right time to make the leap to the NBA.
“Some of the conversations I’ll cherish the most this season were after the year with Isaiah, because it wasn’t just telling each other what we want to hear; it was about his life,” Scheyer said July 8 during a press conference at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“This is an important decision for his life and what he does next. I thought he handled it in a really mature way, him, his mom, his circle just allowing him to make this decision for himself and not be in a hurry. He shouldn’t just be drafted, he should be ready when that time comes.”
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A Fayetteville native who played high school basketball at North Mecklenburg near Charlotte, Evans averaged 6.8 points and 13.6 minutes in 36 games last season at Duke.
He made 62-of-149 shots (41.6 %) from 3-point range, which ranks eighth among Blue Devil freshmen in a single season, exploding onto the scene with six 3-pointers in the first half of a win against No. 2 Auburn at Cameron in December.
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Following a four-game stretch from Feb. 17 to March 1, Evans looked like he might be tracking toward first-round-pick territory in the 2025 NBA Draft. In those four games, he averaged 17.2 points on 58% shooting, making 17 of 32 shots (53%) from 3-point range.
But he only reached double figures once across the final 10 games, scoring nine points total in five NCAA Tournament games. During March Madness, Evans was 1-for-10 from long distance, playing single-digit minutes in four of the five matchups.
He also struggled to consistently hold his own as a defender, often being the target of teams looking to take advantage of the matchup. Listed at 175 pounds as a freshman, Evans has bumped that up to 180, according to Duke’s 2025-26 roster.
Adding muscle, improving his defense and becoming a more consistent scorer were almost certainly among the topics of discussion during Scheyer’s postseason conversations with Evans. Even as a second-year player, Evans will be viewed as a veteran in the backcourt, along with junior Caleb Foster.
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“I think he understood that he’s gotta address some areas of his game. I had to show him, get him to understand what that picture looks like. It’s our responsibility as a coaching staff for how we can help get him there. He’s gotta be the one to do it,” Scheyer said.
“But I love those conversations. I think those conversations set the foundation for what he can do this season. It was all based on truth. It wasn’t based on me trying to persuade or convince and it wasn’t based on him threatening or what other people were trying to do. … That was a real decision that he had to make. I want him to just enjoy this and not put the weight of the world on his shoulders, and be present. He’s gonna be terrific for us.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why Isaiah Evans withdrew from NBA Draft, returned to Duke basketball
