Duke Sets The ACC Standard For The NBA Draft

Duke fans with some mileage on them will recall that a knock on Mike Krzyzewski’s program during the latter 20^th century was the paucity of Blue Devils who’d become NBA stars. This insignificant assertion was raised by some critics and rival fans in unflattering contrast with Dean Smith’s North Carolina program, known for turning out well-rounded, fundamentally sound players coveted by pro coaches.

The difference has long been moot. In fact, 25 Blue Devils were on opening day rosters in the NBA in 2022. Only Kentucky had more with 27.

The close of Duke’s Krzyzewski era coincided with the 2022 NBA draft this past June. It was in a way a peak moment, a ratification of the high level of talent that infused the program, especially over the last dozen years.

The draft haul – four first-rounders in 2022 (Pablo Banchero, Mark Williams, AJ Griffin and Wendell Moore Jr.) and second-rounder Trevor Keels – exceeded any other during K’s 42-season tenure. Among ACC programs only UNC in 2005 and 2012 matched Duke’s four picks in the opening rounds. In neither year did the Tar Heels contributed a second-rounder as well.

The Duke program has produced at least one first-rounder every year since 2011, the longest run ever by an ACC school. During this century the Devils commanded 33 of 111 (29.7 percent) of all first-round picks from the conference.

They are likely to add a few first-rounders in Jon Scheyer’s inaugural season too. Mock drafts around the end of November had anywhere from one to three Blue Devils from this year’s squad projected to be first-round selections

The 25 first-rounders from Duke in the dozen years between 2011 and 2022 slightly exceeded the total provided by the program over the 30 years between 1981 and 2010 (21).

Four former K players were chosen first in a draft: Elton Brand, who left following his sophomore year in 1999; Kyrie Irving, gone after 11 games in 2011 without clearly developing the intellectual rigor a college education is meant to provide; Zion Williamson in 2019; and Paolo Banchero in 2022.

Art Heyman, who played under Vic Bubas, also was the top pick in 1963, giving the Blue Devils five of 12 No. 1s supplied by ACC programs. Wake’s Tim Duncan was the most recent non-Duke affiliated top gun in 1997, more than a quarter-century ago.