Tag Archives: Duke Blue Devils basketball

NBA Draft, NBA Draft recaps, 2022, 2022, 2022, Video, Basketball

Paolo Banchero PF-Orlando Magic: 2022 NBA Draft, 1st overall pick

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Banchero, the 2022 ACC Rookie of the Year, stood out as a versatile chess piece for the Blue Devils. He comes from athletic bloodlines and his basketball intelligence shines on the court. At 250 pounds, his strength has been evident since his playing days for the Seattle Rotary AAU in the Nike EBYL.

The consensus second-team All-American registered 12 double-doubles for the team this past season. Banchero, a former high school quarterback and Washington Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball, led the team in rebounding and finished second in assists.

Banchero finished his freshman season at Duke shooting nearly 48-percent from the field.

Duke had a number of players from its national runner-up squad selected in the draft. Three of Banchero’s teammates (Wendell Moore, Jr., Mark Williams, A.J. Griffin) went in the first round and a fourth, Trevor Keels, was selected with the 42nd pick in the second round. It marked the school’s most draft picks since the 2018 NBA Draft, when it had four players selected in the first 37 picks.

NBA Draft, 2021, 2021, 2021, Video, Articles, Basketball

Jalen Johnson F-Duke: 2021 NBA Draft Preview (video)

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Johnson, despite playing in just 13 games for the Blue Devils in 2020-21, remains a viable Top 15 prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft. The powerful 6-foot-9 forward has a diverse game that includes enough range, strength and open floor capability. The former Phenom U AAU

Jalen Johnson F-Duke, 2021 NBA Draft Preview
Former Duke forward Jalen Johnson (pictured in 2019 with the Phenom U AAU squad) put up 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, four blocked shots and two steals versus Pittsburgh on January 19, 2021.

product made stops at three different high schools before settling at the IMG Academy, where he never actually played. Nevertheless, Johnson -a former five-star recruit, earned a Jordan Brand Classic invitation.

DraftNasty’s Troy Jefferson discussed in detail about the struggles of programs like Duke in late February, and Johnson’s decision to leave the program in mid-February ranked near the top of the list for the Blue Devils.

In the 13 games in which Johnson did play for the team, he averaged over 11 points per game and snagged six rebounds per contest. Turnovers, however were an issue, as he posted six games with at least three.

His midseason departure has left many NBA scouts in disagreement on his final draft status. Will he continue the Blue Devils’ recent tradition of forwards going high in the first round or fall out of it altogether? We take a look back at Johnson during his AAU prep level playing days.

NBA Draft, 2020, Articles, Basketball

Wendell Moore, Jr. SF-Duke, NBA Draft Prospect Snapshot

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Moore’s ball handling in transition leads to easy scoring opportunities for the Blue Devils. It is a big reason why the 11-game starter begins the 2020-21 campaign as a preseason All-ACC selection.

Dating back to his days as a prep level star with Cox Mill High School (N.C.), he has been a clutch player. In fact, he won back-to-back state finals MVP honors for the Chargers.

Moore (pictured) posted 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 113-101 double overtime loss to Wake Forest on February 25, 2020.

The former five-star wing has the frame to dribble-drive left or right and pull-up over defenders from the baselines. In the open floor, he uses his body to lean into defenders while creating space for himself. His deft euro steps often attack the opposite shoulder of opponents while going up strong to the cup.

NBA Draft, 2020, Video, 2020, Basketball

DraftNasty spotlights Duke PG Tre Jones

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Duke’s Tre Jones stood out in all of his big tests in 2020, so it is no surprise that he earned 2020 ACC Player of the Year honors. The sophomore guard has a multi-faceted game that features variety on the offensive end and scrappiness as a defender. His NBA lineage is represented by his older brother, Tyus (Memphis Grizzlies). Will the former Apple Valley (Minn.) star be a first-rounder in the 2020 NBA Draft? We go inside his game during his two-year run (2016-2017) with his AAU squad, Howard Pulley, in the Nike EBYL.

Duke point guard Tre Jones earned 2020 ACC Player of the Year honors.
NBA Draft, Video, 2020, 2020, Basketball

DraftNasty spotlights Duke SG Cassius Stanley

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Duke guard Cassius Stanley has been a standout dating back to his days as a 16-year old. The 2020 NBA Draft first-round prospect starred for his AAU squad, California Supreme Elite, with current Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton. We take a look back at Stanley’s game during the summer of 2016.

Stanley averaged 12.6 points per game (47.4% FG, 36% 3-PT) and 4.9 rebounds for Duke as an All-ACC Freshman in 2019-20.
NBA Draft, Video, 2020, 2020, Basketball

DraftNasty spotlights Vernon Carey, Jr. PF/C-Duke

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Duke PF/C Vernon Carey, Jr. was the ACC’s Rookie of the Year in 2020 after averaging nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game. In the process, he earned NABC National Freshman of the Year honors and consensus second-team All-American honors. Carey, Jr. is following in the footsteps of his father, Vernon, Sr., an eight-year NFL veteran and former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Carey, Jr. was named the 2020 ACC Rookie of the Year.

NBA Draft, NBA, DraftNasty Throwbacks (Videos, Photos, Articles), Video, Basketball, 2015, 2015

DraftNasty Throwback: Memphis Grizzlies SF Justise Winslow-‘Equal Justise’

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Throughout his one year on Duke’s campus, Justise Winslow showcased extreme positional versatility. In fact, he scored double figures in 19 of his final 20 games as a Duke Blue Devil. We went inside the Grizzlies small forward’s game five years ago in our video spotlight leading up to the 2015 NBA Draft .

Duke’s Justise Winslow was one of the more versatile players in NCAA basketball in 2014-15. Winslow averaged 29.1 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 48.6% FG, 41.8% 3-PT, 64.1% FT, 6.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 BPG, and 1.3 SPG as a freshman.