Heading into a critical offseason, the Detroit Pistons can no longer keep their expectations low. After notching the first seed during the 2025-2026 NBA season, the Pistons have to possess a championship-or-bust mentality.
Therefore, Cade Cunnningham needs as much immediate help as possible. And if the Pistons keep their 21st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, they need to hit on their top incoming rookie prospect. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor predicts the selection could be the Duke star, Isaiah Evans.
Imagining Isaiah Evans as Cade Cunningham’s Teammate
“Finding more shooting and creation would be one of the priorities entering this summer, which makes Evans an appealing choice,” O’Connor wrote.
“Evans is the kind of shooter that defenses always need to worry about. He’s a legitimate sharpshooter with the off-ball chops to thrive without even running any offense for himself, and he also has a developing handle that could unlock more creation chances. He’s still a perimeter-based player who needs to add more layers to his game to become a complete offensive talent, but the Pistons only need secondary creation alongside Cade Cunningham, not a primary creator.”
Coming out of North Carolina, Evans spent two seasons at Duke. He came off the bench for all but three games as a freshman. In 2025-2026, Evans became a full-time starter. He appeared in 38 games, shooting 43.3% from the field, producing 15.0 points per game. From three, Evans hit on 36.1% of his shots.
The Pistons’ lack of shooting in the playoffs was exposed. Targeting reliable three-point scorers will help improve the team’s spacing in the half-court and take some of the pressure off Cunningham.
While the Pistons aren’t holding a lottery pick, Evans’ shooting skillset could help him earn a day-one role for Detroit, if he is indeed the selection.