Dylan Backer
The New York Knicks are going to be looking for possible upgrades through the draft this year, especially coming off their first championship in 53 years. The NBA Draft is a two-day event that begins on June 23, with round two being June 24.
Duke’s Isaiah Evans could be a perfect fit for the Knicks
One of the players that they could look to target is Duke standout guard Isaiah Evans. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Evans did a workout for the Knicks last week along with a group of other prospects.
Here’s his basic attributes:
- Height: 6’6”
- Weight: 186 lbs
- Wingspan: 6’9”
- Pro comparison (per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman): Jordan Hawkins
Evans is an offense-first player with the ability to take over games. He excels as a shooter and is fantastic at moving off the ball and creating looks for himself through off-ball screens and wraparounds.
This past season at Duke, he averaged 15.0 points per game along with 3.2 rebounds while shooting 43.3% from the field and 36.1% from three. His contributions were huge as he helped Duke reach the Elite Eight.
“He can get hot as fast as anybody I’ve coached. When he sees one go in, you can feel the whole building react,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said about Evans.
Evans could be a great Shamet replacement
The Knicks, ideally, would want to keep the core that just won them a title together. However, owner James Dolan has said that he doesn’t intend to go over the second apron, meaning that it will be tough for them to bring back impending free agents Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson.
Evans could be a great replacement in the event Shamet leaves in free agency. His aggressive shooting ability and his high motor may be a boost off the bench for New York.
Evans doesn’t have the same defensive intensity as Shamet did, and he could get bullied by bigger wings. However, Shamet was once not known for his defense either, giving hope that that is an area that can be developed for Evans.
New York will continue to weigh their options as they determine the best fits for them through the draft. This year’s class is loaded with premium talent, so they may want to use their picks rather than trade them away like in years past.
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