Draft Predictor Sizes Up Duke Basketball Talents

One Duke basketball star could end up falling to the Knicks in the mid-20s.

Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

With only a few days to go until the big night, ESPN Analytics suggests one Duke basketball product has a decent shot at landing in the lottery but that the other Blue Devil in the green room may stay on the board until late in the first round.

In fact, the site's NBA Draft Day Predictor forecasts almost a 20 percent chance that former two-year Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski will still be available at the start of the second round. And based on the graph, the earliest it sees the 7-foot, 248-pounder going is No. 17 overall.

Filipowski sits at No. 21 on ESPN's ranking of the top 100 draft prospects. Meanwhile, ESPN's latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo projects the 20-year-old to head to the New York Knicks at No. 24 (the Knicks also own the No. 25 pick).

As for Duke basketball one-and-done guard Jared McCain, there's only about a two percent chance that he hears his name any later than pick No. 21, per the NBA Draft Day Predictor, and the 6-foot-3, 197-pound sharpshooter has better than a 25 percent chance of being a lottery selection (No. 14 or higher).

Givony and Woo list the 20-year-old McCain, ranking No. 15 overall in the top 100, at No. 16 to the Philadelphia 76ers.

At least one Blue Devil has been drafted in the first round in all but one of the past 13 years, with 2020 (three in the second round) being the exception.

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (ABC/ESPN), with the second round getting under way on Thursday night.

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