Add five-star 2020 center Walker Kessler to the list of potential Duke basketball players of the future.
While it’s way too early to have much of a clue as to what the 2020-21 Duke basketball roster will look like, the coaching staff now has an offer on the table to five five-star 2020 recruits who would make for a formidable starting five.
Walker Kessler is the latest to receive an offer from the Blue Devils, according to a tweet on Monday from Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound high school junior from Fairburn, Ga., who is ranked No. 16 overall in his class and No. 3 at his position on the 247Sports Composite, appears to have a soft touch from both inside the paint and beyond the arc. But he still needs to beef up and chisel out his frame, as well as work on his mobility.
Overall, in terms of comparisons to former Duke basketball players, his game brings to mind a mashup of Ryan Kelly and Cherokee Parks.
Check out his recent highlights, courtesy of SouthernHoopsReport:
Kessler now holds offers from 23 schools. At the moment, the 247Sports Crystal Ball sees him staying close to home by playing for Georgia; however, only five experts have entered picks to date.
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The big man has already taken official visits to Michigan and Vanderbilt, and he has scheduled one to Virginia for the upcoming weekend.
In addition to Kessler, the Duke coaching staff has extended offers to four other five-star 2020 prospects: point guard Jeremy Roach (ranked No. 14), shooting guard B.J. Boston (ranked No. 10), combo guard R.J. Hampton (ranked No. 5), and small forward Jalen Johnson (ranked No. 4).
ALSO READ: Blue Devils in pursuit of the self-proclaimed best player in the 2020 class
Although it would be a tad guard-heavy, if all five of the Blue Devils’ offers to 2020 talents turn into commitments — don’t discount the possibility considering Mike Krzyzewski’s unprecedented recruiting hauls in recent years — they would have the potential to form a starting five whose talent level would at least be in the same ballpark as that of the current one in Durham.
No 2020 recruit has yet to commit to Duke.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and predictions.