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Duke basketball star Vernon Carey Jr. not getting the respect he deserves

By Kevin Connelly

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke basketball team shoots against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden during the 2K Empire Classic on November 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke basketball team shoots against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden during the 2K Empire Classic on November 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /
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Former Duke basketball star Vernon Carey Jr. is not getting the respect he deserves as he gets set to enter the 2020 NBA Draft.

The draft process for the 2020 NBA Draft will be one that has never been seen before.

Practically no in-person workouts or NBA Draft Combine and tons of virtual meetings between prospects and franchises with a draft coming early in the fall.

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The coronavirus pandemic has thrown everything and everyone in the sports world for a spin, but since teams will be focusing much more on college stats and performances, it’s dumbfounding that Vernon Carey Jr. is seeing his name near the end of the First Round or in the Second Round of many mock drafts.

Carey Jr., the ACC Freshman of the Year and National Freshman of the Year, would have been the ACC Player of the Year if it weren’t for his teammate Tre Jones and the label on Carey is that he is an ‘old-school big’.

Well, quite the contrary.

Carey Jr. not only dominated the paint in the ACC, but he also showed the ability to step out on the perimeter and shoot the 3-point ball, something that is so critical in today’s NBA.

While the 6-foot-10 forward does have some work to do on defending the perimeter at the next level in terms of footwork and speed, that’s something that he can adjust to as his career progresses and he becomes more comfortable in the NBA.

ALSO READ: Blue Devils eye lively 7-foot prospect

The Duke big man averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per contest last season while shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from 3-point territory.

As previously pointed out in an article expressing similar sentiments by Matt Giles, Vernon Carey Jr. will be the lowest-drafted Blue Devil to have won National Freshman of the Year this century as Luol Deng, Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Marvin Bagley III, and Zion Williamson went No. 7, No. 2, No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1, respectively.

ALSO READ: Unfair label haunts draft stock of Vernon Carey Jr.

Whichever team lands Carey Jr. on draft night (October 16) will be getting a steal and one of the best and hardest working players in the country.

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