Projecting After Duke’s NCAA Tournament loss, who will stay and who will leave?
Jon Scheyer’s first season as Duke Blue Devils head coach ended with a second-round loss to Tennessee in the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament.
And now, the team will restructure its roster.
Six players are slated to leave Duke, including three possible first-round NBA draft picks. Several more players will also consider making the professional move.
However, the ACC powerhouse is preparing to bring in the nation’s second-best recruiting class. The future, as always, seems bright.
There is a scenario in which Duke must replace four crucial freshmen. However, Mark Mitchell has a compelling reason to return.
The 19-year-old has delivered some good value as a supplementary player, but his offensive contributions have been limited thus far. While an NBA team may be willing to pick and develop him, he is unlikely to be selected before the second round in 2023.
Tyrese Proctor, who reclassified from the 2023 cycle to join the Blue Devils early, would also benefit from an additional season. Furthermore, given the impression that 2024 is a weaker cycle, he could advance to the first round, which is unlikely this year.
Northwestern transfer. Ryan Young is a fifth-year senior. However, he committed to Duke with the aim of playing out the rest of his eligibility, which expires next season.
Jaylen Blakes, a top reserve, and Jaden Schutt and Christian Reeves, both signed in 2022, should also return.
The most likely scenario is that Duke loses top freshman Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively II.
The bigger question is which order they will be taken in the 2023 NBA draft. In his most recent mock draft, B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman ranked Filipowski (17th) slightly ahead of Whitehead (22nd) and Lively (24th).
Jeremy Roach, like Mitchell, confronts a difficult decision. While he might return, the third-year guard has averaged 30.3 minutes per game over three seasons and may prefer to begin his professional career. He has not confirmed his plans, but there is a strong suspicion that he will depart Duke.
Graduate transfers Jacob Grandison, Kale Catchings, and Max Johns will also depart from the roster.
Who prefers five stars? Duke does!
Once again, the Blue Devils have created an incredibly impressive recruiting class, trailing just Kentucky in the class rankings. Mackenzie Mgbako, ranked seventh-best in the country, leads a group of five top-tier talents.
Guards Jared McCain (No. 15) and Caleb Foster (No. 17), as well as forwards Sean Stewart (No. 13) and TJ Power (No. 20), are the four remaining 5-star recruits for Durham.
Assuming Whitehead, Filipowski, Lively, Roach, and three seniors go, Duke will have two scholarships available.
It’s a safe bet that Scheyer and his staff would use the transfer portal to
