Duke basketball potentially sees final departure of offseason

The Duke basketball program might have seen its final departure of the offseason. 

It is likely that the departures from the Duke basketball program are over this offseason as sophomore standout Matthew Hurt has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Hurt joins freshman teammate DJ Steward as the two players to complete the full 2020-21 season before leaving Durham to prepare for their professional careers.

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Duke has also seen Jordan Goldwire, Jaemyn Brakefield, and Patrick Tape enter the transfer portal.

Matthew Hurt was named as the ACC’s Most Improved Player from his freshman campaign to his sophomore season after seeing his scoring nearly double and the rest of his individual statistics also rise.

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In his second year in Durham, Hurt posted 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 55.6-percent from the field and 44.4-percent from three-point range while also being named to the All-ACC First Team.

Hurt is one of the best offensive players in the 2021 draft class, but his defensive issues will prevent him from being a potential lottery pick, something many forecasted for the Rochester, Minnesota native upon his commitment to Duke.

Matthew Hurt joins a rare list of Blue Devils who have played two full seasons at Duke and not appeared in an NCAA Tournament.

Where will the Duke basketball forward be selected?

In ESPN’s Top-100 best available players, Matthew Hurt is ranked at No. 48 while the power forward comes in at No. 39 in the Top-100 Big Board from The Athletic.

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There is a chance Matthew Hurt could sneak into the bottom half of the first round with impressive pre-draft workouts, interviews, and combine, but it seems likely that teams will jump on the former Blue Devil in the second round.

The NBA Draft is scheduled for July 29, and the NBA Draft Combine will run from June 21-27, where Hurt will get a chance to play 5-on-5 against some of the best players in the draft class.