The latest two-round mock draft courtesy of NBA Draft On SI includes four Duke basketball players. All four are first-year collegians.
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Blue Devil phenom Cooper Flagg appears at No. 1, followed by fellow guard/forward Kon Knueppel at No. 9, center Khaman Maluach at No. 14, and a late second-rounder in reserve guard/forward Isaiah Evans at No. 56 overall. Each was a five-star recruit.
If Flagg, Knueppel, Maluach, and Evans all become Duke basketball one-and-dones, that would mark one more than the combined count between the first two seasons of the Jon Scheyer era.
Scheyer’s 2022-23 Blue Devils saw two freshman talents bolt for the NBA in center Dereck Lively II (drafted No. 12 overall) and forward Dariq Whitehead (No. 22). And sharpshooting guard Jared McCain (No. 16) was the only rookie in Durham who entered the pro ranks following last season.
Four also happens to be the most one-and-dones from any Duke basketball team in history.
Duke reached that number only once, as guard Trevon Duval (undrafted), guard Gary Trent Jr. (No. 37), forward Wendell Carter Jr. (No. 7), and forward Marvin Bagley III (No. 2) turned pro after each averaged double-digit points for now-retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s 2017-18 Blue Devil squad, which finished with a 29-8 overall record and reached the Elite Eight before losing to Kansas.
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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.
