Duke basketball snubbed from top recruiting classes of 2021
By Nickeem Khan
Two Duke basketball commits in the top 10 aren’t enough for a top 20 class?
The Duke basketball program looks loaded with talent for the 2021-22 season. Players of the likes of Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin are among the best out there, yet somehow the Blue Devils’ class of 2021 isn’t ranked in the top 20 right now.
Although Banchero and Griffin are Duke’s only two hard commits among high school seniors, it’s hard to ignore the talent and skill from those two players who are set to make their way to Durham.
Even a team like Ole Miss ranks higher than Duke, per the 247Sports Class Rankings, and to be honest, the talent level doesn’t match up. I’m not sure about you, but I’d easily take Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin — No. 3 and No. 6 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite — over Daeshun Ruffin (No. 36), James White (No. 102), and Grant Slatten (No. 235) any day of the week.
O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero is a five-star coming off averages of 22.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game as a junior. Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) small forward AJ Griffin is a five-star coming off averages of 17.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.
Banchero and Griffin put together amazing seasons individually. To not consider these two players in one class enough to crack the top 20 is criminally underrating the young stars.
No chance the Duke basketball haul finishes outside of the top 20
With the expectations that Duke has regarding top 2021 prospects, it’s only a matter of time before the Blue Devils jump up the leaderboard.
I understand that the low ranking (down to No. 21 at the moment) is because Duke has only two players committed, but that is due to change in the coming months. Five-stars such as Trevor Keels, Charles Bediako, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and Caleb Houstan are all top 25 recruits in the class who could potentially join The Brotherhood.
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So although Duke isn’t even ranked in the top 20 as of today, it’s safe to say that it will definitely be in the discussion for the best recruiting class by the time the 2021-22 season comes around.
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