It comes as no surprise to Duke fans, but there were some rumblings in recent days by members of the national media that Isaiah Evans could explore a return to college with his NBA Draft stock hovering around the late first-round range.
Any sliver of hope held by any Duke fan was removed by Evans on Wednesday. He told reporters at the NBA Combine in Chicago that he was “fully in” the NBA Draft and would not be returning to Duke. He also noted that he hadn’t had a single conversation with Jon Scheyer or anyone at Duke about a potential return to college:
Isaiah Evans closed the door on a return to college. “I’m fully in,” Evans said.
He added he’s had no conversations with Duke about a return. pic.twitter.com/bNcMAUrgQ2
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 13, 2026
Isaiah Evans says he’s staying in the NBA Draft
Evans didn’t leave much ambiguity about his future when he declared for the draft to begin with. Those who are leaving the door open for a return to college typically make that known when they announce. Evans, on the other hand, just declared. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
The former 5-star recruit once believed he would be a one-and-done at the college level, but he played a small role on a loaded Duke team as a freshman before becoming a star for the Blue Devils as a sophomore. Evans was Duke’s 2nd leading scorer this past season behind only Cameron Boozer, averaging 15.0 points per game.
His draft stock hasn’t soared the way he’d hoped so far in the pre-draft process, but with five-on-five scrimmages coming at the Combine, Evans will have a chance to make a leap up the board.
He should also take a step forward because of attrition at the end of the first-round range. Several prospects in that range are expected to return to college, with the influx of NIL and revenue-share dollars increasing the number of players who return to school over staying in the draft.
That could help Evans make a move without putting up the best testing numbers in Chicago this week.
Evans’ decision certainly isn’t a surprise to Scheyer, who operated in the Transfer Portal and via other roster retention moves as if Evans was gone the moment he declared. It’s why Duke was so aggressive in its pursuit of Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, who is also testing the NBA Draft process, but is expected by everyone to exit the draft before the deadline and report to Duke for his senior season.
While it was fun to dream about the longshot possibility of Evans returning and making an already loaded Duke roster even more ridiculously talented, it was never a realistic scenario. He’ll stay in the draft, and the Blue Devils will still put one of the best rosters in college basketball on the court next season.
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