The Duke Blue Devils keep rolling in March Madness, which means NBA Draft scouts can keep evaluating their top prospects.
As usual, Duke is loaded with future NBA players. Cooper Flagg continues to command the majority of headlines, but he's not the only Blue Devil worth keeping tabs on for fans of NBA lottery teams. His fellow freshmen, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, feel more like top-10 locks by the day. Meanwhile, Isaiah Evans, Tyrese Proctor, and Sion James continue to generate buzz in the second round.
Jon Scheyer has built quite possibly the best roster in college hoops around a battalion of five-star recruits and strong transfer portal adds. Flagg, the consensus No. 1 pick, might win the Wooden Award. The team around him, however, is what makes the Blue Devils so dangerous. They're deep, skilled, and versatile, with precious few weaknesses for opponents to exploit.
As we look ahead to June's NBA draft, here is a quick rundown of projections for Duke's stars based on the current lottery standings — along with other smart fits for teams in their respective draft range.
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Duke NBA mock draft: Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach are lottery bound
Order | Name | Proj. NBA Team | Position | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cooper Flagg | Washington Wizards | F | Freshman (18) |
7 | Khaman Maluach | Toronto Raptors | C | Freshman (18) |
9 | Kon Knueppel | San Antonio Spurs | F | Freshman (19) |
36 | Isaiah Evans | Philadelphia 76ers | F | Freshman (19) |
54 | Tyrese Proctor | Los Angeles Lakers | G | Junior (20) |
Cooper Flagg goes No. 1 overall to Washington Wizards
Other potential fits: Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets
Flagg will go No. 1, no matter who wins the lottery. He is a generational prospect and there isn't a single GM — not even Nico Harrison in Dallas — dumb enough to pivot elsewhere. Flagg has answered just about every question he faced coming into his freshman campaign.
After reclassifying to the 2025 draft and arriving in Durham at 17 years old, Flagg's progress has been meteoric. His rapid growth and high-feel approach at such a young age indicates strong star potential. There is still so much room left for Flagg as he enters an NBA strength program and keeps fine-tuning his offensive approach. Even as is, however, Flagg feels like a day-one impact starter.
Flagg is going to defend with an edge, score proficiently at all three levels, and develop into a primary on-ball hub for his next team. He's a special prospect and the primary focus of all tanking front offices.
Khaman Maluach goes No. 7 overall to Toronto Raptors
Other potential fits: Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets
Khaman Maluach is another young freshman with sky-high potential. His role has been far more limited than Flagg's by nature, but the 7-foot-2, 250-pound center has all the tools a front office could dream of in a foundational big man.
It has not been flawless at Duke — it never is with 18-year-old bigs forced into elevated roles — but Maluach is a historically efficient finisher around the rim. He's also a dominant shot-blocker with the mobility to guard in space and the instincts to avoid excessive fouling beneath the basket.
His offensive progression will require patience, but Maluach has a smooth mid-range jumper that occasionally stretches out to the 3-point line. His touch is indicative of a future shooter. He also showed more face-up juice in high school, which should pop in pre-draft workouts.
Toronto loves to bet on length and upside. With Jakob Poeltl's future waning, Toronto is smart to build on a new defensive backbone behind Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.
Kon Knueppel goes No. 9 overall to San Antonio Spurs
Other potential fits: Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers
Kon Knueppel should impact winning straight away at the next level. He's not an outlier athlete, nor particularly explosive with his production, but the skill level and feel offer a strong NBA baseline.
The 19-year-old stands out as one of the best shooters in the draft at 6-foot-7. His touch and mechanics are fluid and compact, which should allow Knueppel to fire out of various actions at the next level. He also shows impressive composure and vision as a secondary creator. He's not going to create much separation in isos, but Knueppel can run a pick-and-roll, attack a closeout, and fire live-dribble passes in the flow of the offense.
Defense will be the primary question mark at the next level, but Knueppel competes hard and operates with a high IQ. He knows when and where to be and is solid within a team context, which is half the battle. Even if he's exploitable on switches, Knueppel shouldn't be a complete negative at the next level.
San Antonio needs shooters around Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, so this stands out as one of the cleanest fits in the draft. Other teams, such as wannabe contenders like Miami and Philadelphia, ought to gravitate toward Knueppel as well.
Isaiah Evans goes No. 36 overall to Philadelphia 76ers
Other potential fits: Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs
Isaiah Evans has popped in a limited role for Duke, emerging as one of the very best shooters in the draft. At 19 years old, his baseline shooting, combined with the potential for future growth, should make him a second round lock — maybe even a potential first-round breakthrough.
Evans doesn't offer much on the ball, but he's shooting 42.4 percent from deep for Duke on a healthy variety of shots. From simple spot-ups, to more challenging pull-ups and screen actions, Evans can fire anywhere at any time. That dynamism, even if it comes mostly through off-ball motion, should keep opposing defenses occupied.
The Sixers always need more shooting around Joel Embiid, while any team looking for volume 3s on the wing should take a long, hard look at Evans.
Tyrese Proctor goes No. 54 overall to Los Angeles Lakers
Tyrese Proctor is still 20 years old, so there's not too much concern over his extended tenure at Duke. The talented combo guard arrived in Durham with an impressive playmaking feel, but it has taken time for his scoring profile to develop. This season, we've seen meaningful growth, with Proctor hitting a career-best 39.7 percent of his 3s on high volume.
He won't lead a team necessarily, but Proctor is a highly disciplined setup man (2.2 assists to 1.0 turnovers) with strong spot-up shooting skills and connective playmaking chops. He projects well as a complement to a more heliocentric creator, such as LeBron James or Luka Doncic.
LA might want to start thinking about what the bench unit backcourt looks like beyond Gabe Vincent. Proctor hails from a prestigous program and has a chance to carve out early minutes for a contender due to his advanced basketball IQ and stout defense.