The Minnesota Timberwolves took Duke wing Isaiah Evans with the No. 33 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s a 3-and-D guy who should be a good fit in Minnesota. However, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, who went one pick later at No. 34, has been absolutely cooking for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Summer League.
After trading for LaMelo Ball and ditching Julius Randle, the Wolves are in a good place offensively, but they could use another creator off the bench. Evans is more of an off-ball player, which is great for his fit next to Anthony Edwards and Ball. But Thomas looks like more of a creator.
Based on his play in Summer League so far, the Wolves may already have a little bit of regret regarding their second-round selection.
Timberwolves could had have Meleek Thomas instead of Isaiah Evans
In his two Summer League appearances, Evans hasn’t played particularly well. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’s been really struggling to shoot the ball. He didn’t make a single three in his two appearances.
Through two games, Evans shot 0-of-15 form behind the three-point line (contributing to a 2-of-23 overall shooting line). Needless to say, it’s been an ugly, ugly Vegas stint for the Duke product.
Somtimes, the shots just don’t fall. Evans has plenty of time to figure it out, and based on the way he played at Duke, he will. But Thomas hasn’t had many struggles adapting to the Summer League competition.
Thomas has appeared in three Summer League games for the Cavaliers in Vegas. In the first, he scored 20 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep. And that was just the beginning.
In the second game, he had 30 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. He shot 10-of-24 from the field and 4-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. It was incredible. But it wasn’t the best he had in the tank.
In his third Summer League game, Thomas topped that performance. He put up 35 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block on 14-of-23 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 shooting from deep.
That’s the type of scoring the Wolves could use. The type of creation that could be a huge help off the bench, in a supporting role behind Edwards and Ball.
Instead, the Wolves chose to select Evans. They could have had Thomas. Maybe Summer League will prove to be a false indicator, but right now, Minnesota might regret its pick just a little bit.
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