With the 2026 NBA Draft now less than a week away, Duke fans are eager to see which NBA teams recent Blue Devils will land on.
Currently, there are three former Duke players with a high chance of being drafted. Those, of course, are Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown. Of the three, Boozer and Evans are certain to be selected while Brown has the potential to go undrafted.
Ahead of the draft, analyst Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report recently revealed his prospect big board, which featured all three of the aforementioned Blue Devils.
Shocking to many, Wasserman labeled Cameron Boozer as the No. 1 player on the big board, ahead of other stars like AJ Dybantsa (BYU) and Darryn Peterson (Kansas).
Isaiah Evans was ranked at the No. 29 position, just ahead of rival Henri Veesaar of North Carolina. Lastly, Maliq Brown did just make the top 60, slotting in at 59.
With the 2026 NBA Draft less than a week away, Duke fans are on edge as draft night approaches. Every mock draft, every workout clip, every rumor feels bigger when it involves the Blue Devils. This year the anticipation is real because Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Maliq Brown are all in play.
All eyes start with Cameron Boozer. The 6’9″ freshman forward wasn’t just Duke’s best player last season, he looked like the most complete prospect in college basketball. Now, just days before the draft, analyst Jonathan Wasserman from Bleacher Report dropped his final “Big Board” and shocked the entire draft community: Boozer is his No. 1 overall prospect. That puts him ahead of names that have dominated headlines all year like AJ Dybantas from BYU and Kansas phenom Daron “Daron” Peterson. For Boozer, it’s validation of a season where he averaged a double-double, showed elite passing for his size, and looked NBA-ready on both ends. If Wasserman’s board holds, Boozer could hear his name called first on draft night, following in the footsteps of other Duke No. 1 picks like Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving.
Then there’s Isaiah Evans. The 6’6″ wing made his name as one of the most dangerous shooters in the ACC. He wasn’t a starter all season, but when he got hot, defenses panicked. Wasserman has Evans slotted at No. 29 overall. That’s late first-round territory and puts him just ahead of North Carolina rival Henri Vésaar at 30. For a player whose draft stock climbed all spring thanks to strong combine shooting drills, being a guaranteed first-rounder would be huge. Teams looking for spacing and bench scoring see Evans as a plug-and-play shooter with upside as a 3-and-D wing.
Maliq Brown is the wild card. The 6’8″ forward transferred in and became Duke’s defensive anchor. He won games with rebounds, steals, and high-energy plays that don’t always show up in box scores. Wasserman still has him on the board at No. 59, barely inside the top 60. That means he’s right on the draft bubble. Some teams value his motor and defensive versatility enough to take a swing in the second round. Others could pass, leaving him to fight for a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent. For Brown, draft week is about proving to GMs that “glue guy” skills translate to the NBA.
So what’s the big picture for Duke? If Boozer goes No. 1 and Evans locks in a first-round spot, it’s another reminder that Durham remains a pipeline to the league. Even Brown making the board at 59 shows the depth of this roster. For fans, it’s less about “will they get drafted” and more about “where and how high”.
Draft night is June 25-26 at Barclays Center. Do you think Boozer actually goes No. 1 overall, or does another name like Dybantas jump him at the last second?
