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Duke Basketball: Recapping the Blue Devils Historic 2018 NBA Draft

By Kevin Connelly

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Picks one through 30 are seen on the board at the conclusion of the first round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Picks one through 30 are seen on the board at the conclusion of the first round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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It was a historic night for Duke Basketball during the 2018 NBA Draft, adding to its record total number of high draft picks.

The night got underway rather quickly for the Duke Blue Devils as Marvin Bagley III was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings.

Per DukeMBBStats, Bagley became the fifth Blue Devil to be chosen No. 2 overall, joining Danny Ferry, Jay Williams, Jabari Parker, and Brandon Ingram.

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The Kings extended the Duke Basketball program’s and Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski‘s record of NBA Draft Lottery selections, by moving the total to twenty-four draft picks.

The selection of Bagley set a Duke Basketball record in the NBA Draft as the Blue Devils have had a Top-3 selection in the draft in each of the five years, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Brandon Ingram, and Jayson Tatum.

Since 1980, when Coach K started at Duke, the Blue Devils have twelve Top-3 picks in the NBA Draft, the most in that time period.

Wendell Carter Jr. was taken No. 7 overall by the Chicago Bulls and that added to the total of Coach K and the Duke Basketball program, as Carter Jr. became the twenty-fifth NBA Lottery choice for the school and coach.

With twenty-five selection in the NBA Lottery in school history, the Blue Devils also extended its lead over Kentucky, who has twenty-three picks in the Lottery and North Carolina who has eighteen.

Coach K has all of Duke’s twenty-five NBA Lottery draft choices, while Kentucky Head Coach Jon Callipari‘s twenty-three NBA Lottery selections are not all at UK, but he still trails Coach K by two choices as Roy Williams is in third place with fifteen selections.

Duke also has the most Top-10 NBA Draft picks since 2000 with fourteen players, two more selections than Kentucky.

Duke senior captain Grayson Allen was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 21 overall pick in the NBA Draft, capping the three Blue Devils who were taken in the First Round.

Duke now has forty-five First Round draft picks in the NBA Draft, which is the third most of all time, thirty-eight of those players coming under Coach K, which is the highest total number of draft picks by any coach in the history of college basketball.

Gary Trent Jr. was taken in the Second Round of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 37 overall pick, but then he was quickly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Duke matched a program record with four picks in the NBA Draft, tying the mark set in 1986 and tied again in 1999 and 2017.

With another big-time recruiting class entering Durham in 2018, the Blue Devils will look at add to its record numbers in the 2018 NBA Draft and beyond.

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