Jon Scheyer and his associate coach Chris Carrawell were ecstatic after five Duke players were drafted into the NBA this year. Cooper Flagg went No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks, while two others were selected in the first round. On Thursday, two more Blue Devils heard their names called during the second round.
Sion James, who spent last season at Duke after transferring from Tulane, was selected No. 33 by the Charlotte Hornets, while Tyrese Proctor was picked at No. 49 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Following James' selection, Carrawell sent the former Blue Devil a heartwarming message. Duke basketball posted the video on X/Twitter:
"I'm really excited to be here for Sion, a great human being, first of all, and just an unbelievable player. He really brought a lot to us this year with his leadership, his professionalism, and to see him fulfill a dream of getting drafted into the NBA, it's incredible."James averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in his lone season in Durham. He will remain teammates with Kon Knueppel in Charlotte, who the Hornets selected at No. 4. Furthermore, Flagg's high school teammate, Liam McNeeley, will also be joining Charlotte after being drafted at No. 29.
Jon Scheyer and Chris Carrawell guide Duke to historic NBA draft nights
The 2025 NBA draft was a major success for Duke University — all five of their starters from last season were selected at the Barclays Center. Scheyer and his coaching staff deserve immense credit for their player development and ability to prepare these young men for the next level.
It is safe to say that Scheyer and Carrawell have had a significant impact on winning at the highest level. Only Kentucky had more players drafted in a single draft in NBA history, with six in 2012 and 2015.
Here's the list of all Duke players selected this year:
- No. 1: Cooper Flagg by the Dallas Mavericks
- No. 4: Kon Knueppel by the Charlotte Hornets
- No. 10: Khaman Maluach by the Houston Rockets (traded to Phoenix Suns)
- No. 33: Sion James by the Charlotte Hornets
- No. 49: Tyrese Proctor by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Why did you not like this content?
- Clickbait / Misleading
- Factually Incorrect
- Hateful or Abusive
- Baseless Opinion
- Too Many Ads
- Other
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
About the author
Edited by Veer Badani