Ever since the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball, I've had a tough time seeing how rookie Isaiah Evans would get minutes. This isn't a major knock on Evans' game. In fact, I think he'll be a solid long-term fit with the team, largely thanks to his shooting. Plus, for the brief time between him being drafted and the Ball trade, I thought he could contribute immediately, even as an early second-round pick.
Alas, there's not enough guard/wing opportunities available for Evans. The Wolves' first three preseason games have only reinforced this.
Isaiah Evans hasn't stood out in preseason
For the first half of their first two games, Minnesota played its starters. In these games, Evans played 15.6 total minutes, and that's with the starters not playing in the second half. While Evans played 21:49 minutes during Saturday's preseason game with the starters out, he played just five minutes in the first half. As such, most of his minutes came alongside two-way players and training camp invites.
Right now, Evans appears to be at the bottom of the totem pole for standard contract players. Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark, and even Cody Williams are ahead of him at a similar position. That doesn't include the Wolves' established top-eight rotation players at his position: Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, and Terrence Shannon Jr.
And while I'm intrigued by Evans' skill set, he hasn't shown much during his opportunities. In fairness, Evans had a solid showing against the Miami Heat on Saturday. He notched nine points and netted 3-of-7 3-pointers. Regardless, Evans is 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from deep range in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Evans' shooting struggles date back to summer league, where he netted just 20.5 percent of his triples.
Look, both summer league and preseason are low-leverage situations, but I've also found Evans' shot selection to be frustrating at times. Evans showed improvement during the Heat game, but in general, he has been quick to force up shots. This isn't overly concerning for his long-term outlook, but it makes me feel like he needs time to grow.
Evans has some work to do to earn an NBA role
Currently, Evans is somewhat of a specialist. He entered the league as one of the best shooters in the draft class, displaying impressive spot-up and movement shooting chops.
If Evans' shot isn't consistent at the NBA level, though, it'll be hard for him to see the floor. Sure, he fights hard on defense, but at 185 pounds, he'll need to add muscle. From what we've seen at the NBA level, this is a clear area of improvement.
Evans took a sophomore jump at Duke by developing more as a shot creator. However, he isn't a good advantage creator at the NBA level. Furthermore, his playmaking and ball-handling need to improve, even if he's primarily an off-ball weapon.
These factors, combined with the Wolves' loaded guard/wing rotation and Chris Finch's hesitancy to play rookies, make it nearly impossible to envision Evans playing minutes this year. And this has only become clearer in preseason.
Nevertheless, if Evans can regain consistency in his outside shot and find other ways to impact the game, he could find a rotation spot with Minnesota down the road.
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