Two Duke Blue Devils standouts have announced they’ll take their talents to the next level. Duke star and projected first-round pick center Kyle Filipowski and guard Jared McCain have declared for the 2024 NBA draft.
Filipowski took to X to announce his decision Friday morning.
The seven-foot center expressed gratitude to Duke and thanked his coaches, teammates, and anyone else who helped him along the way. The sophomore played 72 games for the Blue Devils in his college career.
McCain, too, announced via X he will declare for the NBA Draft. He shared a video of some of his best moments at Duke on the court and shared a statement as well with the caption ‘Thank You, Duke.’ Here’s what McCain had to say in his statement.
“I’ve always been a dream chaser. I’ve always been one to reach my goals. And the next one is the NBA,” Jared McCain said in a video. “With that being said, I will be entering my name into the 2024 NBA draft.”
The sophomore center averaged 16.4 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 36 games in 2023-2024. His growth as a three-point shooter changed his game. His percentage jumped by six percent, from 28% in his freshman season to 34 % in his sophomore season. Bleacher Report projects Filipowski will be a lottery pick, going 13th overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.
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McCain had a very solid freshman season. He entered Duke as a five-star recruit from Corona, California. The freshman guard averaged 14.3 points per game on 46.2% shooting from the field, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 36 games. The 20-year-old led the Blue Devils with 5.8 attempts per game from the three-point line and shot 41.4% from beyond the arc.
Although the season didn’t end the way the Blue Devils wanted it to, McCain went out with a bang, dropping 32 points, six rebounds, and one assist in their loss in the Elite Eight to fellow ACC team NC State.
Their announcement to the NBA doesn’t come as a surprise, as most top players from Duke are usually bound for the NBA. Filipowski and McCain led the Blue Devils to their best finish since 2022 when they finished in the Final Four.
Duke will look to turn the page, and they’ll do it ever so swiftly by adding the number one recruit and high school player of the year, Cooper Flagg. On top of that, Duke will enter the 2024-2025 season as the number-one recruiting class in the nation, highlighted by Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, and Kon Knueppel.
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