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Duke Basketball: Blue Devils ranked behind Kentucky in best NBA players

By Kevin Connelly

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards talks with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics in overtime of the Celtics win at Capital One Arena on December 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards talks with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics in overtime of the Celtics win at Capital One Arena on December 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. 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 Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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ESPN just published a piece ranking the best college programs that produce NBA players and the Kentucky Wildcats were ranked higher than the Duke Basketball program.

By now most of you have seen the ESPN article where the title states that it ranks the “colleges that produce the most potentially impactful NBA players”, which is a very confusing title in itself.

Are you ranking the best players in the NBA that come from one NCAA basketball program or are you ranking the best individual prospects to come out of one school regardless on whether they pan out or not in the NBA?

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Before unveiling the rankings, ESPN editor, Rachel Marcus, highlights that Duke could have three players selected in the Top-10 in Thursday’s NBA Draft; Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish, for the first time since the Florida Gators had three players selected in 2007.

In terms of how that rankings were developed and decided, the article says, “the first pick in the draft gets 60 points, decreasing to the last pick, which gets one point. The college with the most points is ranked the highest.”

As many would predict and expect, the Kentucky Wildcats were the No. 1 team in the rankings, as the article featured players like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Karl Anthony-Towns.

While John Calipari has never produced an NBA Champion in his time at Kentucky, the players he has put into the league have racked up numerous amounts of individual awards and All-Star appearances.

The Duke Blue Devils came in just behind the Wildcats, with players such as Kyrie Irving, Brandon Ingram, and Jayson Tatum referenced, but in the blurb about the Blue Devils.

However, the article states how players such as Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, and Ingram haven’t hit that superstar status in the NBA yet, despite Parker suffering horrific knee injures in his short time in the NBA, Okafor was an insurance policy to Joel Embiid in Philly, and Ingram just posted the best season of his career in Los Angeles before being traded to New Orleans a few days ago.

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The article also does not mention rookies Marvin Bagley III or Wendell Carter Jr., both Top-10 picks from a year ago.

When things really started to get strange is when the North Carolina Tar Heels appeared at No. 4 for having Danny Green, Ty Lawson, Ed Davis, and Harrison Barnes selected at some points in their respective drafts.

While all have been serviceable role player for at least some portion of their careers, if this article was purely based on potential, I guess you could justify Carolina’s No. 4 ranking, but if its based on success on the court, then that one seems like a head-scratcher.

Anyway, make sure to tune into the NBA Draft at 8:00pm EST on Thursday, June 20, to see the next crop of Blue Devils enter the NBA and have their dreams come true.

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