All fiveDuke basketball starters come off the board in new Bleacher Report NBA mock draft
The 2025 NBA draft is officially less than a month away, and according to Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Duke Blue Devils will come off the board early and often.
Wasserman released an updated two-round mock draft on Thursday with all five Duke basketball starters from the 2024-25 season, including a trio of freshmen within the first nine selections.
Teenage phenom Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9-inch forward labeled as a generational talent since his high-school days, went first overall to the Dallas Mavericks in Wasserman’s mock. The Wooden Award winner is widely accepted as one of the biggest locks for the No. 1 spot so far this century, and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon already confirmed earlier this month that the Mavericks intend to take him with the top pick.
Khaman Maluach, the 7-foot-2-inch center who represented South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games before his lone collegiate season, went seventh to the New Orleans Pelicans after averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Kon Knueppel, Duke’s third and final freshman starter, went ninth to the Toronto Raptors after averaging 14.4 points, making 40.6% of his 3-pointers, and earning ACC Tournament MVP honors while Flagg recovered from a sprained ankle.
Tyrese Proctor, the only Duke basketball player who spent each of the last three seasons with head coach Jon Scheyer, narrowly missed the first-round cutoff at 37th to the Detroit Pistons, and fifth-year senior Sion James went to the Orlando Magic with the 57th pick after his lone season in Durham.
Washington State transfer Cedric Coward won’t play a game for the Blue Devils, committing to Duke through the portal last month but opting to stay in the NBA draft after turning heads at the combine. Wasserman seemed particularly bullish on the former Cougar’s chances as the 14th overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs.
Khaman Maluach, the 7-foot-2-inch center who represented South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games before his lone collegiate season, went seventh to the New Orleans Pelicans after averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Kon Knueppel, Duke’s third and final freshman starter, went ninth to the Toronto Raptors after averaging 14.4 points, making 40.6% of his 3-pointers, and earning ACC Tournament MVP honors while Flagg recovered from a sprained ankle.
Tyrese Proctor, the only Duke basketball player who spent each of the last three seasons with head coach Jon Scheyer, narrowly missed the first-round cutoff at 37th to the Detroit Pistons, and fifth-year senior Sion James went to the Orlando Magic with the 57th pick after his lone season in Durham.
