Nine recent Duke basketball early departees lacking NBA contract

Maybe not every talented Blue Devil should leave early.

Duke basketball center Jahlil Okafor (Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports)

In 2020, the Duke basketball program set an ACC record with 26 former players on opening-day NBA rosters. With 25 under contract right now, the program is flirting with that record for next season.

In other words, NBA Blue Devils will once again account for roughly five percent of everyone in the league.

Sure, that's impressive.

But that number might be significantly greater if some of the names below had stayed in Durham a year or two longer to further hone their skills before entering the professional ranks.

Notable Duke basketball products without an NBA home

Yes, some of these guys probably made the right decision to bolt from the Blue Devils at the time. Several seemed to have nothing else left to prove as a collegian.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that a few might latch on with an NBA franchise before the season begins in mid-October.

For now, though, these nine, who left Duke with eligibility remaining, do not appear to be part of any team's 2022-23 equation:

Jabari Parker: Played for Duke in 2013-14; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Boston Celtics in 2021-22.

Rodney Hood: Played for Duke in 2013-14; left two years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021-22.

Jahlil Okafor: Played for Duke in 2014-15; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Detroit Pistons in 2020-21.

Harry Giles: Played for Duke in 2016-17; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2020-21.

Frank Jackson: Played for Duke in 2016-17; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Detroit Pistons in 2021-22.

Trevon Duval: Played for Duke in 2017-18; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018-19.

Marques Bolden: Played for Duke in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19; left one year of eligibility on the table; last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020-21.

Cassius Stanley: Played for Duke in 2019-20; left three years of eligibility on the table; last played for the Detroit Pistons in 2021-22.

Matthew Hurt: Played for Duke in 2019-20 and 2020-21; left three years of eligibility on the table (due to the free year of eligibility from the COVID-depleted 2020-21 season); has never played in an NBA game.

Oops, there's a 10th:

DJ Steward: Played for Duke in 2020-21; left four years of eligibility on the table; has never played in an NBA game.

What's the lesson here? Well, when in doubt, consider sticking around at Duke.

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