Duke basketball is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about teams in the country heading into next season, with many believing the Blue Devils have the pieces to compete for a National Championship.
Jon Scheyer has done an impressive job retaining key contributors from last year's roster. Players projected to be NBA Draft picks at the start of the season, such as Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba, have chosen to return to Durham. Scheyer also entered the transfer portal and landed one of the best scorers in the country, John Blackwell.
The Blue Devils will, however, have to replace their two leading scorers. Both Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans have entered the NBA Draft and will move on to the next chapter of their careers.
Cameron Boozer is coming off one of the greatest freshman seasons in college basketball history. Boozer led the Blue Devils in scoring at 22.5 points per game on 55.6% shooting from the field and 39% from three-point range. He also led the team in rebounds at over 10 per game and assists at four per game. Boozer capped his remarkable season by winning the National Player of the Year award and earning First Team All-American honors.
Isaiah Evans also took a major step forward in his sophomore season, moving into the starting lineup after showing flashes coming off the bench as a freshman. Evans more than doubled his scoring average, jumping from 6.8 to 15 points per game. He shot 43% from the field and 36% from three-point range, taking just over seven three-point attempts per game.
ESPN's Jeremy Woo included both players as first-round selections in his latest mock draft.
Cameron Boozer
Woo writes that Boozer proved himself as one of the most dependable freshman stars ever, winning player of the year awards despite Duke falling just short of a Final Four berth. Woo noted that while limited vertical lift may cap some of his ceiling, the production he delivers is difficult to argue with.
Woo has Boozer going third overall to the Brooklyn Nets, a franchise that has been searching for a cornerstone player since Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden departed.
On the selection, Woo writes that Brooklyn has significant stakes riding on this lottery pick, as the team does not control its 2027 first-round pick owed to Houston, making Boozer the safest and most attractive option on the board.
Isaiah Evans
Woo describes Evans as a quality wing shooter with good positional size and the ability to hit tough shots off movement. He noted that Evans took a clear developmental leap with an expanded role at Duke, projecting starter-level upside if he can become more consistent, particularly on the defensive end.
Evans is projected to go 23rd overall to the Atlanta Hawks, a pick acquired in the trade that sent DeAndre Hunter to Cleveland. Atlanta has also moved on from star point guard Trae Young and is now building around former Duke standout Jalen Johnson, who has developed into one of the league's rising stars as the Hawks look to upset the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Woo noted that adding perimeter shooting would benefit Atlanta as they continue to build around Johnson, and that the team has flexibility with this second pick to address several roster needs.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Two Blue Devils Projected High as NBA Draft Nears.