No men’s college basketball program has accumulated more top talent over the last five years than the Duke Blue Devils, so understandably, the NBA is full of young talents who played their college ball at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
ESPN released its ranking of the top 25 NBA players under the age of 25 on Monday, and a quartet of former Blue Devils made the list thanks to their strong first few seasons.
[autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], the most recent Blue Devil chosen with the No. 1 overall pick, contended for the top overall spot on the list. He’s missed the past month with a torn right oblique, but he put together his first career 50-point night against the Indiana Pacers on October 28. He finished that 119-115 victory with 13 rebounds and nine assists, one of the best games by any player so far this season.
Here’s a breakdown of every former Blue Devil who made the top 25:
Paolo Banchero, No. 3
Banchero led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs last year, his second season in the NBA. He averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, a noticeable leap from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2022-23 (20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists). He looked like a potential All-NBA candidate through five games to start this season, pushing his scoring average to 29.0 thanks to his first 50-piece, and Magic fans eagerly await his return to the court.
Zion Williamson, No. 16
Williamson has been a dominant player on the court ever since his days in Durham, and he’s averaged 24.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game across his NBA career. However, he’s only played 190 games over his six-year career, well below half of his potential appearances.
“The concern is whether injuries are taking a toll on the athleticism that makes Williamson a special player,” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton wrote in his ranking snippet.
Jalen Johnson, No. 17
Johnson didn’t bloom as fast as Williamson and Banchero in the NBA, only starting six games over his first two seasons, but he burst onto the scene with 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 2023-24. Now a fourth-year player rewarded with an offseason extension, he’s somehow improved on all four of those numbers through 21 games this year.
Dereck Lively II, No. 19
The darling of the Dallas Mavericks run to the NBA Finals, Lively averaged 7.9 points and 7.4 rebounds with four double-doubles in just 22.0 minutes per game during his rookie postseason. The 7-footer is working his way into the starting lineup at just 20 years old, and so far in year two, he’s averaged 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per contest.