- Mar 24, 2001
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That's gotta be Nique's grandson right?
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That's gotta be Nique's grandson right?
Looking like a Black and more fine Sage Steele
Y’all acting like Jordan don’t have 2 young daughters that are in the single digits of age.Nique having a son that young is wild
How are we acting like anything by not mentioning something that has nothing to do with this?Y’all acting like Jordan don’t have 2 young daughters that are in the single digits of age.
At 6’3”?Physically Bronny reminds me of Jaylen Brown.
Strong, athletic guard who has a herky jerky style.
I'd be very surprised if he turned out to be even close to that level of player though.
My brother and I are 30 years apartMy dads best friend finally got caught slipping. He thought he couldnt nut kids just because hes 62.
Having your first kid at 62 is wild
Which Duke basketball freshmen will leave for the NBA, and who will come back?
Take it straight from an NBA scout:
“This Duke team is just really tough to evaluate.”
That scout — who, like the rest of the sources in this story, was granted anonymity because NBA personnel are not authorized to comment on college players — isn’t alone. With Duke having wrapped up its regular season on Saturday, with a 62-57 win over North Carolina, there’s a solid body of work for evaluators to sift through. And while their opinions will certainly change in the next month, as conference tournament play unfolds and teams go on runs in March, it’s important to understand where the Blue Devils’ prospects stand at present.
Because opinions vary.
In speaking to several NBA scouts and decision-makers over the last week, only two sentiments were consistent across the board:
• In the NIL era, Duke players on the fringe of declaring early could — and arguably, should — be more inclined to return to school and improve their skills (and therefore, their draft status).
• Because of that, and what is seen as a less impressive 2024 draft class, Duke should have the opportunity to return multiple freshmen contributors.
But who?
That’s the big question, although the line between expected departures and returnees is already starting to be drawn. In many ways, that’s a good thing for Duke at a program level. Jon Scheyer told The Athletic recently he’s prioritizing experience moving forward; that isn’t to say Duke won’t still recruit elite, top-10 talents who can go pro after one season … but it also would like guys of similar caliber who will stick around for multiple seasons.
This year’s class is just the first example of that dichotomy. So, a look at where each of Duke’s five prospects stands, in alphabetical order:
Kyle Filipowski
Opinions on Filipowski were as split for any of Duke’s prospects. Much of that centers around his positional fit, and what he is in theory versus reality.
“Filipowski is, to me, the guy that I like in terms of the year he’s had,” said one scout. “I know he hasn’t really shot it well, but Kyle’s very smart. He’s competitive. I like how he impacts the game on both ends of the floor, even if there’s small limitations athletically.”
That scout compared Filipowski, at the next level, to current Utah big Kelly Olynk.
Others, though, are less sold on the 7-foot freshman as a true stretch four.
“I don’t know quite the exact position for him offensively, because he can’t play with the ball in his hands (at the next level),” a second scout said, referencing Filipowski’s 3.6 turnovers per 40 minutes, “but that’s kind of what he does well. He’s not really a pick-and-pop guy. His shot looks fine, but it can get better.”
For the season, Filipowski is shooting 27.6 percent from 3 on 3.4 attempts per game. Despite his inside-out usage for the Blue Devils — he dominated North Carolina on Saturday, posting his 14th double-double of the season — that number doesn’t scream “stretch forward” to NBA evaluators, especially considering the line gets even farther back at the pro level. Some wondered whether Filipowski’s overall usage — easily the highest on the team, per KenPom, and in the top-75 nationally — was contributing to his poor outside shot.
“There’s times I like him, his size and everything. I say, alright, can he just be a stretch four?” a third evaluator said. “He’s borderline first round, maybe early second.”
In The Athletic draft expert Sam Vecenie’s latest mock, he had Filipowski being selected 27th overall.
Those same positional questions apply defensively, too. Playing alongside a true center in Dereck Lively II (more on him below), Filipowski has been forced to guard in space along the perimeter this season, with mostly positive results. But scouts question whether Filipowski’s average athleticism, coupled with not having the same size advantage in the pros that he has now, will make him vulnerable defensively. “He’s not elite by any means (guarding on the perimeter), but I didn’t think he was a liability. He was fine,” said the first scout. “And the physicality part, he’s no slouch. There’s nothing soft about him.”
Ultimately, Filipowski seems to be right at the crux of the two rounds, with a Duke run in March potentially being enough to push him solidly into the 20s. But given that uncertainty now, and the fact that only first-rounders receive guaranteed money, there seems to be growing buzz that Filipowski could realistically return to Duke for a second season. If he did, he would potentially enter the season as a preseason All-American for an expected top-15 team. Additionally, and as it relates to his NBA future, returning would allow him more reps from 3-point range, and raising that percentage from deep would do wonders for his stock.
“He is,” says the evaluator, “a puzzle.”
Dereck Lively II
The No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, Lively has long been expected to be a one-and-done type player at Duke. And while he started the season slow, while adjusting to the physicality and strategy of the college game, he’s come on strong of late and showed the reason why he is still projected as a first-round pick.
In fact, there’s a solid chance Lively ends up being the first Duke player selected in this summer’s draft, if he declares.
“Lively has definitely, finally, helped himself a ton,” says one scout. “Getting a lot of chatter: rim protection, rebounding. He’s had some huge games.”
Defense is obviously Lively’s calling card at the next level, given his combination of athleticism and length. (He is 7-foot-1 with a reported 7-foot-7 wingspan.) He’s currently No. 3 nationally in block percentage, per KenPom, and averaging 4.9 blocks per 40 minutes. That doesn’t even factor in how many other shots he alters or deters altogether. And while that piece is notable — “NBA guys just ooze over rim protection,” the same scout said — Lively’s ability to defend in space also stands out. He might not be asked to switch one through five at the next level, like he is at Duke now, but his ability to hold his own in space — and perhaps most importantly, to cover ground in ball-screen coverages — helps his stock.
“He can be a defensive anchor, to some extent,” said another scout.
The larger question with Lively is offense. “He has no offensive game to me,” the evaluator said. After scoring two points against North Carolina on Saturday, Lively finished the regular season averaging 5.1 points per game, with only four contests all season in double-digits. He’s made five or more shots twice — although the fact that both of those games were in February is a sign of recent progress. Still, those scoring limitations are tough for some teams to swallow, especially when factoring in the already-diminished value of the center position in the NBA.
“You can get a backup center on the market, in free agency, every year. Like, a quality backup,” says the second scout. “The question will be, has he shown enough potential as a pick-and-roll defender, shot blocker, all that, that it makes sense?”
There isn’t consensus on whether or not he has, but there does seem to be a strong appetite for his defensive upside. Accordingly, Lively is expected to declare and should have first-round suitors if he does, albeit outside the lottery.
Mark Mitchell
At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, with a reported 7-foot wingspan, Mitchell has prototypical size for a modern NBA wing. You can’t teach those physical tools.
And yet …
“He needs to go back,” says one scout. “Otherwise, you risk getting stuck in the G League. To me, he’d be more like (in the pick range of) 40-60.”
Why? Because while Mitchell’s frame is seen as NBA-ready, his skills — especially offensively — aren’t equally as far along.
“Oh my gosh, love the body. Love the frame. Love everything about him,” the evaluator says, “but I just think the offense is subpar.”
As one of two every-game starters for Duke this season (alongside Filipowski), Mitchell has averaged 9.1 points per game — fourth-most on the team — while shooting 39.1 percent from 3 and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line. Those last two numbers, especially, seem to point to a player with some shooting touch, but scouts see a distinction between the raw numbers and Mitchell’s shooting stroke. His motion clearly needs work, even if it has been effective in spots this season. Additionally, Mitchell isn’t viewed as a strong handler or passer — he’s averaging 1.8 assists per 40 minutes — which further limits his offensive upside.
Other than his frame then, what do scouts like? A few things. First, his defense; Duke asks Mitchell to switch every position except center (and he’s even done that sparingly), and he’s thrived as both a perimeter and interior stopper. He’s committing 1.4 fouls per 40 minutes, per KenPom, which is No. 25 nationally and top-five amongst high-major players. That effectiveness, to many teams, projects to the next level. Mitchell might not be switching onto the smallest, quickest guards in the league, but his ability to be successful in multiple defensive situations is seen as a huge boost for someone who will ultimately be asked to be a role player.
“To be 19, when he goes in the game, he can impact the game without being a liability on defense,” said another scout. “To me, that is a huge feather in his cap.”
Mitchell’s motor and relentlessness are irrefutable. Duke is 13-1 this season when he hits double figures as a scorer. That’s because even without the scoring, his willingness to hustle, run in transition, dive for loose balls, and rebound are the sorts of role player responsibilities that come instinctively to Mitchell. His nickname, “Easy,” really does apply in terms of playing with him.
“He’s not a great passer yet, he’s not a guy you’re gonna trust putting the ball on the floor and shot creation, all that stuff,” the second scout continued, “but that’s not who he needs to be. That’s not what he is.”
Taken together, Mitchell is absolutely seen as a future NBA player … just, likely after some more offensive seasoning at the college level.
He, like Filipowski, falls into that swing category: someone who could go, but probably would be best-served long-term by staying. While scouts expected Mitchell to strongly consider the one-and-done route before this season, they now largely seem to expect the opposite.
Tyrese Proctor
Of all of Duke’s prospects, Proctor is the one NBA scouts see as most likely to return to college next season.
“If his range is mid- to late-second round,” one scout questioned, “why would he come out?”
It’s important to remember that Proctor — as Scheyer says frequently — shouldn’t be here right now; he reclassified last summer and arrived at Duke a year early, after the Blue Devils lost Wendell Moore Jr. and Trevor Keels to the NBA Draft. Also, coming from Australia, there was a learning curve for Proctor not just in terms of college basketball’s physicality, but also its rules. Yet in spite of those circumstances, this preseason, Proctor generated as much hype as any of Duke’s players; at one practice that was widely attended by NBA personnel, Proctor was viewed as the best player on the court.
“The star of the fall,” another scout said. “Offensively, when he’s confident and aggressive and being himself, he looks like an NBA player.”
The issue? For the first half of this season, Proctor wasn’t that guy. For the year, he’s hitting 30.2 percent of his 3s, and averaging a modest 9.2 points per game. And while those trends have reversed dramatically of late — especially since Proctor took over as the team’s lead point guard and Jeremy Roach shifted off-ball — teams factor in the full sample size.
Over the last 13 games, he’s averaging 10.3 points and 3.8 assists per game, while also hitting 38.2 percent of his 4.2 3-point tries per game. He’s been devastating in ball-screen situations, eating up drop coverage and making smart passing reads in stride.
“Beautiful looking shot, all the creativity and footwork in the world,” the same scout added. “But you’re gonna have people who just look at the stats who say, ‘He’s shooting 31 percent from 3, how is he a shooter?’”
Proctor has also made major strides defensively, although that’s tougher to quantify for a guard, and especially one in a Duke defensive system that doesn’t pressure the ball at nearly the same rate it once did under Mike Krzyzewski. Instead, Proctor has thrived by blowing up dribble handoffs, fighting through screens, contesting without ceding position, and being advantageous when steal opportunities present themselves.
“He’s had some better games lately,” the evaluator says, “and when he handles the ball and does more for them, I think Duke’s a better team.”
Basically, teams want to see Proctor be more consistent over the course of a full season, while also adding some strength to his 175-pound frame. Being 6-foot-5 and lanky means Proctor absolutely can fit in an NBA backcourt — either at point or as a combo, depending on which team you ask — but borderline consensus is he needs another year in college. In the long run, given the guard landscape in the 2024 class, that might not be a bad thing; one scout says he could even see Proctor sneaking into the lottery next summer, if his recent developments track for the entirety of his sophomore season.
Dariq Whitehead
Whitehead has been viewed as Duke’s top pro prospect since the summer, but injuries — both his broken foot in August, and his lower-leg strain more recently — have complicated that picture.
“When he gets to the doctors, that’s gonna be the big thing with him,” says the evaluator.
Aside from the injury concerns themselves, the time Whitehead missed cost him the opportunity to show off his full game and build consistency. Scouts who have been tracking Whitehead since high school — when he was a key piece of Monteverde (Fla.) Academy’s recent star-studded teams — said the player they’ve seen this season hasn’t necessarily matched up with the guy they knew previously.
“I liked him a lot in high school,” one said, “but it’s obviously been kind of an up-and-down year for him, and I thought he’d have more impact.”
Said another: “There’s nothing he can’t do, per se — but we haven’t seen enough of it.”
Known as a slasher in high school with strong defensive tendencies, Whitehead has been relegated to more of a spot-shooting role while working through his recoveries. The good news is, he’s thrived doing so, and become much more of a consistent shooter than teams previously believed he was. Over his last 10 games, per CBB Analytics, Whitehead has made 59 percent of his 3.4 3-point attempts per game, which ranks in the 97th percentile nationally. “He’s actually shot it pretty well,” the first scout said, “even if his (overall) numbers aren’t going to be great in terms of what he’s showing.”
Defensively, though, there have been some questions about Whitehead’s engagement, and for certain teams, about his motor overall. Given his physical frame — he’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds — the thought was that Whitehead could be a tenacious on-ball defender, in a similar mold to Mitchell, but that hasn’t translated.
But because of his pedigree, how irregular his season has been so far due to injuries, and the role he’s been asked to fill at Duke, there is some grace with Whitehead’s evaluation process. For that reason, there’s still optimism he will be a first-round pick this summer; it’s not a guarantee he declares, but that’s the widespread expectation. He’s the perfect example, though, of someone whose stock could really benefit from Duke making a run in March. With the body, the shooting, the flashes of passing and handling and slashing, some teams just need a little more tape to be fully convinced.
“You see some signs, glimpses, where he hits some shots, shows that athletic ability, all of it,” the evaluator says. “He’s the one I think will be (picked) highest of all.”
Bruh I would be sick to my stomach.My dads best friend finally got caught slipping. He thought he couldnt nut kids just because hes 62.
Having your first kid at 62 is wild
At 6’3”?
More so the others, whitehead has terrible luck with healthDuke team sorry af.
Idk what cats saw in whitehead.