Zion Williamson and the 20 best one-and-done players in college basketball history

17. Luol Deng, Duke, 2003-2004

Prior to embracing the one-and-done era, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski prided himself on building rosters full of players who grew into stars over the course of full years. A few left early, such as Elton Brand, but nobody left Duke after just one year for a long time.

That changed when Luol Deng became the first Blue Devils’ player to leave Durham after just a year in 2004. Deng had a tremendous impact on Duke in his one season on campus, averaging 15.1 points per game and 6.9 rebounds a night.

The Blue Devils got all the way to the Final Four that year before falling by a point to UConn, and shortly afterward Deng declared for the NBA draft. Deng got selected seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns, but his rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls on draft night.

That move turned out to be an excellent one for Chicago as Deng morphed into one of the league’s most dynamic defenders, helping key a mini-resurgence for the Bulls in the late 2000s. Deng has had a lengthy NBA career, adding stops in Cleveland, Miami, Los Angeles, and Minnesota after his decade-long run in Chicago.

There is no doubt that Deng made the right choice to go pro right away, setting the tone for future Duke players like Williamson to spend a year learning from Coach K before heading off to the NBA.