Blue Devil Country

One-And-Done Gem Becomes Duke Basketball's 56th NBA First-Rounder

Duke basketball sensation Jared McCain is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Matt Giles

Duke basketball guard Jared McCain
Duke basketball guard Jared McCain / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
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At the 2024 NBA Draft in Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke basketball product Jared McCain at No. 16 overall. The 20-year-old McCain, who heard his name before 20-year-old Duke basketball teammate and fellow green-roomer Kyle Filipowski, is the 56th first-round selection and 109th drafted player among all-time Blue Devils.

That list of Duke first-rounders — a remarkable 41 since 1998 alone — includes at least one in 13 of the past 14 drafts.

And the count is likely to grow to 57 on Wednesday night, as Filipowski appears in the top 30 across most recent big boards and mock drafts. At the time of this article's publishing, though, Duke's two-year 7-footer had yet to come off the board.

Filipowski's addition to the club would mark the 14th time that multiple Blue Devils became first-rounders on the same night and the seventh such instance in the past 10 years.

As a sharpshooting Duke basketball freshman, the 6-foot-3 Jared McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, hitting 41.4 percent from downtown. But as all NBA fans are bound to discover, the impact of the former McDonald's All-American from California goes far beyond his box scores.

The pro career of TikTok star Jared McCain, now the third player of the Jon Scheyer era to get drafted, should be a joy to track.

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Matt Giles

MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of FanNation's Blue Devil Country and All Tar Heels, covering the Duke Blue Devils and UNC Tar Heels on SI.com.

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