2023 NBA Draft: Handful of Duke Prospects with Opportunity to Make the Jump

Now that Duke's season is over, which players could be making the leap to the NBA?

Just like in most years, the Duke Blue Devils entered the college season with several top recruits that were set to play big roles. As such, they were a young team that faced adversity but ended up being one of the best teams in the ACC.

Once again, Duke has a handful of potential one-and-done freshman that will likely test the pre-draft process. Nearly all of them underperformed for the majority of the season, but clearly have a ton of upside. In the right system, there’s five freshman on this team that will at least consider making the jump to the NBA. 

Which Duke prospects could we see be selected in the 2023 NBA Draft?

Dereck Lively (Freshman | Big)

Stats: 5.4 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 2.4 BPG | 65.8% FG

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

The top high school recruit in this freshman class, Lively struggled to adjust to the college game early on. He rarely showcased the ability to dominate the game on either end and also lacked a consistent 3-point shot.

With that in mind, the young center did get better as the season went on, proving he has upside as a rim protector and glass cleaner. He’ll go in the first round of the upcoming draft simply due to potential, but we haven’t seen much of it quite yet. 

Dariq Whitehead (Freshman | Wing)

Stats: 8.3 PPG | 2.4 RPG | 0.8 SPG | 43.0% 3PT

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Another top recruit coming into the season, Whitehead underperformed relative to expectations. That was mostly due to injuries throughout the season, but he also was streaky when he was healthy.

The one thing he was able to consistently showcase was the 3-point shot, which was extremely efficient all season long. Whitehead has the upside to be a star caliber two-way wing at the next level, but it’s unclear whether he showed enough this season to be a lock in the lottery. 

Kyle Filipowski (Freshman | Big)

Stats: 15.1 PPG | 9.0 RPG | 1.3 SPG | 29.4% 3PT

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

After a really hot start to the season, Filipowski struggled down the stretch. Especially from deep, his shot fell less and less as the season went on.

While there’s certainly question marks about his game, especially on defense, Filipowski still has first-round promise this summer. He’s perfect for the modern NBA with his size and perimeter shooting potential. 

Tyrese Proctor (Freshman | Guard)

Stats: 9.2 PPG | 3.2 APG | 3.1 RPG | 32.4% 3PT

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Proctor entered the season with high expectations, but took quite a while to get comfortable at the college level. Early in the season he looked like a guy that would surely need another season at Duke before making the jump to the NBA, but he’s improved since.

In fact, the game against Tennessee that eliminated the Blue Devils from the NCAA Tournament was Proctor’s best game of the season. He seems to have finally figured out how to play at the college level, but it’s still unclear if he’ll end up declaring and staying in the 2023 NBA Draft or come back another year to solidify himself as a first rounder the following summer. 

Mark Mitchell (Freshman | Wing)

Stats: 9.1 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 1.2 APG | 35.2% 3PT

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mitchell was overshadowed this season as a freshman, but is also a big recruit. With that in mind, he could be a steal of a second-round pick for a team if he were to make the jump to the NBA in June.

It would likely be better for him to come back to Duke and play a bigger role next season, but we’ve seen plenty of high recruits come out earlier than they should and get selected and have success at the next level. 

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