The Duke basketball program has officially lost the entirety of its 2024-25 starting five as freshman center Khaman Maluach has officially declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. He, Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, and Cooper Flagg declared for the draft. Sion James, the Blue Devils’ fifth starter from this past season, is out of collegiate eligibility and has a good chance to hear his name called on draft night.
Although Jon Scheyer will be working with a very different squad next year, the program has retained some key players.
Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris, Maliq Brown, and Patrick Ngongba II have all announced their returns to Duke next season. Foster and Evans will likely be Scheyer’s starting backcourt next season, with Harris, Brown, and Ngongba all expected to play serious minutes.
Duke is also bringing in the #3 overall 2025 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, highlighted by top prospect Cameron Boozer. Five-star Nik Khamenia and four-star Cayden Boozer, Cameron’s brother, are also headed to Durham as part of the program’s incoming rookie class.
The Blue Devils were also one of just three programs to not lose a single player to the transfer portal this offseason, but have yet to make an addition through the portal either. This could change soon as top remaining transfer, Cedric Coward (Washington State), has Duke and Alabama as his final two options.
However, Coward has said his main focus is on the 2025 NBA Draft, but he will attend Duke or Alabama if he elects to return to college.
Duke will likely have five or six guys hear their names called on draft night this summer, and the three star-studded freshmen from this past season are viewed as consensus top-ten picks.
In ESPN’s most recent 2025 NBA mock draft, here is where the Blue Devils in this year’s draft are slotted:
#1 overall – Cooper Flagg – Utah Jazz
#7 overall – Khaman Maluach – Toronto Raptors
#8 overall – Kon Knueppel – San Antonio Spurs
#52 overall – Tyrese Proctor – Los Angeles Clippers
#53 overall – Sion James – Memphis Grizzlies
Although there will be a ton of new faces in Durham next season, there’s lots of excitement on the talent coming in, and Duke could potentially add more names with the portal.
