Duke basketball: Predicting landing spot for No. 1 recruit

Predicting the landing spot for Duke basketball target Jonathan Kuminga

During the High School Basketball Happenings podcast last week, Jonathan Kuminga made clear his No. 1 focus:

“To get to the NBA, play at the highest level, and go out there and compete.”

Sure, Kuminga could follow his brother to Texas Tech. In fact, if he does take the college route, Lubbock is where fans should expect to see him reside for what would almost certainly be only one season before cashing in his talents as potentially a No. 1 overall draft pick.

Yes, Kuminga could grow to embrace the charisma of Bruce Pearl at Auburn. Also, it would be unwise to completely count out either of the country’s top two recruiting heavyweights, Duke and Kentucky, for either could theoretically swoop in for the win by ramping up interest later in the game.

Smart money, though, is on the suitor who offers the surest money, aka, the G League. So this prediction says to expect Kuminga to say something along the lines of “Show me the money” during an announcement ceremony at some point this summer. Expect him to reclassify in order to start receiving professional paychecks next season.

As a result, expect the NBA, for the first time since before the one-and-done era began, to once again become the No. 1 recruiting power when it comes to luring No. 1 high school talents.

PREDICTION: G League, pronto

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, and predictions.