Youth was the way for the Duke Blue Devils’ men’s basketball team this past season. Their oldest starter, a fifth-year graduate student senior, could be a match for the Warriors with their second-round draft pick in three weeks.
Duke’s three freshmen, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, are all likely to be top-10 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. The trio led the storied program to their best season under coach Jon Scheyer, reaching the Final Four and losing in devastating fashion down the stretch to Houston. Still, their 35-4 record matched Coach K’s final championship team a decade ago in 2015. They left their mark in their one and only season in Durham.
So did Sion James.
The Georgia native spent his first four years of college at Tulane, where he progressively improved over time. Season by season, James had higher points per game and rebounds per game. By his fourth-year junior season, James averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while turning himself into a 38.1 percent 3-point shooter. After four years, James finally started seeing the vision of being an NBA prospect.
“I really started to see it by the time I got to the end of my time at Tulane,” James said Tuesday at Chase Center. “I started to recognize that I was just continually improving and that the NBA dream wasn’t as far-fetched.”
His mission wasn’t complete. To put the kind of stamp James wanted on his college career and to set himself up for the most success at the next level, he transferred to Duke to join a star-studded cast for his fifth and final college season. James was a standout at the NBA Draft Combine and has been meeting with a handful of teams since. His latest stop was in San Francisco, where James was part of a pre-draft workout Tuesday on the Warriors’ practice court.
When James really started to watch the NBA and analyze it deeply, the Warriors were in the midst of their dynasty. Pictures of stars like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson celebrating championships are inspiring for all, James included. Looking at the current construction of the Warriors, James knows he’d be an instant fit.
“I’d be awesome,” James said. “I’d love to. It’s really cool watching how everything works out. I think it’d be a great fit, and as the process continues to go and I continue working on my game, we’ll see how it all plays out.”
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard/wing fits the mold of what the Warriors are looking for. James will be 23 years old in December and wouldn’t be a project after playing 153 college games, including 139 starts. The Warriors need size and shooting everywhere. Size isn’t just a 7-foot center. The Warriors need positional size up and down the roster.
Every team is on the hunt for a defensive-minded wing who can let it rip from deep. James checks both boxes.
Shooting always came secondary for him. James was a 28 percent 3-point shooter as a freshman, 33.3 percent as a sophomore and went back down to 31.7 percent in his third year. He shot just 68.9 percent from the free-throw line over four years at Tulane. Then in his one year as a Blue Devil, James had a 41.3 3-point percentage and made 81 percent of his free throws.
“It was something that was a weakness of mine early on, and I’ve worked really hard to make it a strength. It’s really just come from dedication,” James said. “From shooting every day and working every day and knowing that the work will pay off.
“And it really started to my last two years in school. I feel like I didn’t really do anything different. I just started making the opportunities that I got, and I’ve got an opportunity to keep going from here.”
Being a trusted 3-point shooter came with a whole lot of reps and work. As did building an NBA body.
James began college at 185 pounds. He left at 220, looking more like a rangy outside linebacker who can drop into coverage than a lanky hooper. His strength and defensive acumen caught some eyes at the combine with multiple steals and swipe downs during the scrimmage portion.
James, in the first scrimmage, put together 10 points, four steals and one blocked shot. The next day, he registered seven points with another four steals and three blocked shots in his second scrimmage.
The playoffs are the proof in the pudding right now. Players at James’ size with his experience, defensive tenacity and ability to knock down an open three simply bring more wins than losses.
“The Pacers are a prime example I can think of right off the top,” James said. “You’ve got multiple guys who are all under the ball handlers every single possession, making their life hard. It takes will to do that, but it also takes the physical profile and I’m lucky that I’ve been blessed with that and also been able to develop that over time. It’s really just trying to be that kind of player, someone who makes life hard for opposing players.
“The Celtics had guys like that last year during their run with Jrue Holiday and Derrick White in the backcourt. Those are guys I’ve been watching as well. Holiday is especially someone who can really get up into the ball and make it hard for opposing players.”
If Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy wants more of his alma mater to represent Golden State, James, an ACC All-Defense selection, makes plenty of sense when the Warriors are on the clock at No. 41 overall as a possible second-round steal who can contribute right away.
