So How Did The NBA Draft Work Out For Duke?

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 14: Tyrese Proctor answers questions from reporters during media availability at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena on May 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. | Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

All five starters got interesting opportunities

With Sion James and Tyrese Proctor being drafted in the second round, Duke’s entire starting lineup has been selected and will now start to prep for their NBA futures.

James is off to the Charlotte Hornets with pick #33 while Proctor went to Cleveland with the 49th pick.

Like Flagg and Maluach, James will likely have some Brotherhood mentors to start his NBA career as Wendell Moore and Seth Curry both play for the Hornets and of course, Duke teammate Kon Knueppel will be there as well.

Proctor won’t have that option at Cleveland, but Ty Jerome and Donovan Mitchell, formerly of Virginia and Louisville respectively, could turn out to be good mentors.

Proctor is in a pretty good situation in this sense too: the Cavaliers finished with 64 wins and are poised for more success. He may not make a huge dent in his first season, but there’s a lot to be said for winning too.

Flagg is also in a pretty good situation: Dallas finished just 39-43 but retain a lot of talent. The Mavs have Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively and others.

Irving is recovering from a knee injury but even so, there is a lot of talent in Big D and Flagg can slot in just about anywhere.

Actually, that’s arguably his greatest strength: he probably can’t play center for long, but he can fill in anywhere else, including for Irving. Thompson is getting on, but he is still a crafty veteran and can also help Flagg.

As for Maluach, Phoenix currently is Duke West: aside from Man Man, they have Mark Williams, Mason Plumlee, Grayson Allen and Tyus Jones there, so he should feel right at home.

Everyone realizes that Maluach will require some patience. He’s only played for five years, he’s just 18 and he’s 7-2. He’s barely grown into his body. He’ll have time to develop.

In Charlotte, Knueppel will be expected to produce, and quickly. Charlotte can use his shooting to open up the court. There are questions about his athleticism to be sure, but no one doubts his shot or basketball IQ.

As for James, he’ll have opportunities. LaMelo Ball is the star for Charlotte, but his availability has always been hit or miss. Ball has played just 231 games in his five years for an average of 46.2 games a year. That’s basically half-time.

James will likely carve out a role as a rugged defender and if he can offer some backup to Ball, so much the better. Charlotte has a lot of work to do and will probably struggle again this year. However, for Knueppel and James, that translates into opportunity, which is great. You can’t ask for more than that.

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So How Did The NBA Draft Work Out For Duke?

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