Isaiah

Evans

After shooting 2-of-15 from the field in his summer league debut, Evans had an even tougher night on Monday. The rookie wing missed all eight of his shots from the field, only scoring multiple points due to a made free throw on a two-shot foul (which counts for two points in summer league). Most important for Evans and the Timberwolves is that the slump doesn’t undermine his aggressiveness on offense; he can’t stop shooting, but he also has to avoid pressing too much. It hasn’t looked good for Evans so far, but “it’s only summer league.”

The 33rd overall pick in last month’s draft, Evans’ summer league debut was not one for the archives. The former Duke wing missed all nine of his three-point attempts and spent most of his time lingering on the perimeter. One game does not make an entire career; Evans boasts plenty of potential to be a valuable 3-and-D wing. However, Saturday’s performance was a reminder that he’ll need some time to reach that potential.

After coming off the bench as a freshman, the 6-foot-6 Evans started all 38 games for the Blue Devils as a sophomore last season. A third-team All-ACC selection, he averaged 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 three-pointers on a team that won the ACC and reached the Elite 8. While he does need to fill out physically, Evans has the length and shooting ability to provide value as a 3-and-D wing in the NBA. While the Nets officially made the pick, Evans is headed to Minnesota as part of the Julius Randle trade. With Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) set to miss a significant portion of the 2026-27 season, there will be room for Evans to earn rotation minutes.