Duke guard Isaiah Evans walked into the NBA draft Tuesday night fully expecting to become a first-round selection after two seasons with the Blue Devils. Instead, he spent the evening watching from the green room in New York as 30 picks were made without his name being announced by the league commissioner.
Evans had earned a coveted seat in the green room — a space typically reserved for players projected to go in the first round — and was featured on the ESPN broadcast sitting at a table decorated with a gold basketball bearing his name. He dressed for the occasion in a dark double-breasted suit adorned with what the New York Post described as millions of dollars worth of diamonds in a broach and chain.
The floor-spacing guard had been viewed as a first-round prospect even before stepping up his performance last season. Over two years at Duke, he averaged 15 points per game while connecting on 38% of his three-point attempts. One of his standout moments came when he hit a clutch shot in the final minute to defeat reigning national champion Florida. The primary question surrounding his draft stock centered on his need to build strength on his 6-foot-6, 186-pound frame to withstand the physical demands of the NBA.
Despite the anticipation, Evans was not selected in Round 1.
He enters Wednesday’s second round alongside several other notable prospects. Here’s a look at the top players still on the board as the draft resumes, with the NBA champion New York Knicks holding the first pick:
Meleek Thomas, Arkansas: Thomas served as the second-leading scorer (15.6 points per game) for the Razorbacks, playing alongside eventual seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound freshman guard struggled from beyond the arc early but caught fire after Christmas, shooting 47.9% from three-point range (56 of 117 attempts) over a 25-game stretch that included Arkansas’s SEC Tournament championship run and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Henri Veesaar, North Carolina: The fourth-year junior from Estonia had a breakout season with the Tar Heels after transferring from Arizona, posting 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. At 6-foot-11 and 227 pounds, Veesaar offers the kind of size-with-shooting combination that NBA front offices covet. He shot 42.6% from three at UNC (40 of 94), a significant improvement over his 31.6% mark (19 of 60) during his two seasons at Arizona. Synergy rated his catch-and-shoot jumper as “Excellent,” and evaluators note he runs the floor well.
Nolan Saunders: The 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior wing has built his reputation around his outside shooting, connecting on 37.6% of threes last season and 43.2% as a junior. Synergy ranks his jumper in the 89th percentile with an “Excellent” grade, and spot-up situations made up 35.2% of his possessions last year. The biggest concern surrounding Saunders is his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in February.
Yves Missi’s teammate (unnamed in source): A senior forward from Spain with a 6-foot-11, 208-pound frame and a nearly 7-foot-2 wingspan. He was among just eight combine participants to record a standing reach of 9 feet, 3 inches or better.
Demetrius Miller, Cincinnati: Miller previously played at Florida State and Florida Atlantic before landing with the Bearcats, where he averaged 13.0 points and ranked ninth nationally in rebounding at 10.3 per game.
Emanuel Sharp, Houston: The 6-foot-3, 208-pound redshirt senior flourished in a defense-first system under veteran coach Kelvin Sampson. He averaged a career-best 15.5 points last season and earned a spot on the Big 12’s all-defensive team. Over three seasons as a full-time starter, he shot 38.1% from three.
International prospect (originally signed with Gonzaga): The 6-foot-5, 185-pound combo guard averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists in Germany’s Bundesliga top league last season. According to Synergy, he operated as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations on 33.9% of his possessions.
Kobe Johnson, (program not specified): A senior and elite playmaker who earned second-team AP All-American honors and broke the Division I career assists record previously held by former Duke star Bobby Hurley since 1993. He ranked second nationally in assists as a sophomore (7.5), junior (8.7), and senior (8.8), and is a career 38.5% three-point shooter. His size is a concern — he was the shortest (5-foot-10) and lightest (167 pounds) player measured at the combine.
Additional players to watch in Round 2 include:
— Ryan Conwell: The 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior guard averaged 17.3 points over his last three seasons, including a career-high 18.8 last year as a second-team AP all-ACC selection at Louisville. He has knocked down 347 three-pointers in his college career.
— Bruce Thornton: The 6-foot, 223-pound senior guard is Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer. He averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 55.4% last season, and has connected on 41.2% of his threes over the past two years.
— Felix Okpara: The 6-foot-10, 237-pound senior from Tennessee projects as a rim-running lob target and defensive anchor. He earned SEC all-defensive team honors, boasts a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and ranked fourth at the combine in standing reach at 9 feet, 4 inches.
— Trevon Brazile: The 6-foot-10, 226-pound fifth-year senior from Arkansas also fits the rim-running mold. He averaged 13.0 points, 1.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals last season. At the combine, he ranked third in standing vertical leap (36.0 inches) and tied for fifth in maximum vertical (41.5 inches), with a nearly 7-foot-4 wingspan.
— Ugonna Onyenso: The 6-foot-11, 237-pound senior center from Virginia could be a late-round gamble as an elite shot-blocker with a nearly 7-foot-5 wingspan. In a notable performance, he held top pro prospect Cameron Boozer of Duke to 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting while rejecting four of his shots in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.
