It was easy to be excited when the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Duke's Isaiah Evans with the No. 33 pick. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard making an impact as a rookie didn't feel far-fetched, largely due to his elite outside shooting.
Trading for LaMelo Ball (and Josh Green), roughly 12 hours later, limited Evans' opportunities, though. Chris Finch's typical reluctance to playing rookies doesn't help matters. And while I don't put a ton of stock into summer league play, Evans didn't look great in Las Vegas.Â
I'm not counting on Evans to earn regular minutes as a rookie, but it's not something I'd totally rule out either. With that in mind, here are three questions that could determine his rotational viability as a rookie.Â
Was his poor 3-point shooting a pure fluke in summer league?Â
Frankly, the Timberwolves need to hope the answer to this question is yes. Evans was billed as one of the best movement shooters in the draft. Unfortunately, he shot a brutal 20.5 percent from 3-point range in four summer league games.
Look, summer league is rarely indicative of what a player will look like in the NBA. At the same time, it's hard to be more confident in Evans' NBA outlook after summer league.
Evans' elite shooting at Duke bodes well for his ability to bounce back, and the Timberwolves' established talent should help create open shots for him. Likewise, shooting is still presumably his path to earning NBA minutes. Without a doubt, though, Evans will need to show the Wolves that his summer league play was merely a fluke, or else he'll be glued to the bench as a rookie.
What other skills can he provide?Â
While shooting remains Evans' ticket to NBA minutes -- for him to carve out a rotational role (even as a rookie), he will need to impact the game in more than one way. Gone are the days of specialists; versatility is all the rage now.Â
Evans made a sizable jump as a self-creator during his sophomore year at Duke, which ultimately helped him get drafted. However, he doesn't have a super tight handle, which could prevent this skill from translating to the next level. General playmaking and shot selection are areas of growth for Evans, especially to earn the trust of Finch.
Defensively, Evans was somewhat disruptive off the ball, averaging 1.4 stocks last season. At summer league, he held his own when defending on the ball. Weighing in at 186 pounds, Evans will have to overcome his size deficiencies to make a defensive impact at the NBA level. It's certainly not impossible, but it might take a bit for him to get used to NBA size and physicality.
How does the rest of the Timberwolves' rotation shake out?Â
Equally as important to what Evans shows the Timberwolves is what the rest of the rotation looks like. With LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Josh Green off the bench, Minnesota isn't short on guards or wings.Â
If all of the bench players can put it together, Evans' path to minutes is slim to none. Based on Finch's track record, he'll lean on the more established players at least to start the season. Regardless, the quartet of Hyland, Shannon, Clark, and Green isn't all that proven. As such, there's a chance that one or more of them struggle, which in turn would open up a role for Evans.Â
Earning rotational minutes on a competitive team will be a tough (but not totally impossible) task for the No. 33 pick. Overall, Evans will need to prove to the Timberwolves that he's ready for the opportunity, and he'll need minutes to open up in a real way.
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