The NBA Draft Decisions That Could Affect Duke
· Yahoo Sports
With the NBA Draft combine complete, Duke fans are anxiously awaiting official confirmation that John Blackwell will indeed arrive in Durham this summer. Despite their being no indications to the contrary, last year’s experience with Cedric Coward has seemingly left a scar for many Blue Devil fans. But where Coward wowed scouts with his measurables and shooting last year, Blackwell posted a negative wingspan and a so-so overall combine performance. It’s only a matter of time before he officially withdraws from the draft.
However, there are plenty of stars on Duke’s schedule that have more difficult decisions in front of them. These start with the Blue Devils’ most recently announced marquee matchup against Illinois. Retaining Andrej Stojaković is key for a team with a claim to pre-season No. 1: the Fighting Illini return the entirety of the strong frontcourt that led them to a Final Four, but Stojaković is the only major returnee on the perimeter.
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While it was widely assumed Stojaković was merely going through the draft process to get feedback—he officially announced a return to Illinois, after all—his positive athletic testing at the combine left some doubt. He also elected not to participate in the combine scrimmages (unlike Blackwell), which has historically been an indicator that a prospect is secure in his draft status.
Whether the allure of college NIL has changed that calculus—and players for sure returning to college are choosing not to risk injury—is yet to be seen.
Another decision with potentially seismic impact on the college basketball landscape is that of Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu, who Duke might potentially face in an ACC-SEC Challenge matchup (who thinks ESPN would turn down a matchup of likely pre-season Top 3 teams?). Chinyelu was also widely expected to simply be getting NBA feedback, but had one of the most impressive combines both in terms of measurables and performance in the scrimmages.
With many bigs ahead of him on early mock draft boards, including Duke’s Pat Ngongba, returning to school, it’s not outlandish to think a team needing an immediate impact big in the late first round might go for the experienced Chinyelu. That would be a major blow to the No. 1 team in most Way-Too-Early Rankings.
Finally, there are decisions that could shape the ACC race. Louisville commit Flory Bidunga performed well at the combine as well, but doesn’t have the college track record of a first round center. With the reported payday promised to him by the Cardinals, it’s likely Duke faces him this year.
The more interesting decision is that of North Carolina commit Matt Able. A player with potential one-and-done hype last year at NC State, Able underperformed in Raleigh but is now considered a fringe first-round pick after a stellar combine. Losing him would be a major blow to a Tar Heel squad that is already desperately searching around Europe for depth.
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