The Boston Celtics are already looking like a formidable team this season even without Jayson Tatum having played a game yet.
When the injured star returns to the floor, the Celtics should be even better.
And then heading into next season, assuming full health, Boston can be back to a frontrunner in the Eastern Conference from the very beginning.
They'll have the chance to help that cause if they can nail their 2026 NBA Draft first-round pick.
Right now, that would slot in at No. 24. ESPN's Jeremy Woo released a new mock draft in which he has the Celtics taking Isaiah Evans out of Duke in that spot.
Tatum certainly wouldn't complain about having another Blue Devils star come to town.
"Evans has strung together three straight big performances for Duke, which has relied on him to manufacture offense and space the court around Cam Boozer," Woo writes. "His fluid, dynamic movement shooting and solid positional size are nice calling cards, but the rest of his game is a work in progress, and he needs to add significant strength to his slender frame. There is an obvious use for him in the NBA, but he remains far from holding his own at that level, placing him in this large group of potential late first-rounders jockeying for position."
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If Evans joins a contending team with lots of stars like Boston, he'll be able to slot right into a role as a deadeye shooter.
He's skilled enough to attack closeouts off the bounce, too, but the main role for Evans in the league would be as an outside sniper.
The Celtics love shooting the 3-ball, and Evans would fit right in.
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