Duke basketball: More commitments coming soon for Blue Devils?

Duke basketball recruiting might be in the middle of a bonafide hot streak.

Within the past 24 hours, Duke basketball fans have learned of two new additions to the program.

On Thursday, four-year Davidson power forward Bates Jones, who is the brother of former Blue Devil quarterback Daniel Jones, revealed that he’ll be moving to Durham for his fifth year of college hoops. Then on Friday morning, four-year Marquette power forward Theo John announced his decision to do the same.

This comes less than two weeks after Paul VI (Va.) five-star shooting guard Trevor Keels publicly added his name to #TheBrotherhood. So Keels is now set to arrive in a few months alongside two more five-star freshmen, who each signed a letter of intent back in the fall, in O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero and Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) small forward AJ Griffin.

All three of those pledges are McDonald’s All-Americans who rank among the top 20 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite: Banchero at No. 3, Griffin at No. 7, and Keels at No. 19.

Two Duke basketball offers still outstanding

No, it doesn’t appear as if Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff are finished just yet when it comes to building a formidable 2021-22 roster. Yes, they still have two offers on the table to high school seniors in Blair Academy (N.J.) four-star point guard Jaylen Blakes and Hamilton (Wis.) five-star small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Currently, the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Blakes, a fierce defender who ranks No. 102 in the class and has slick moves that some view as a tad better than advertised, suggests the Blue Devils are the clear frontrunners — despite not entering the race until earlier this week.

Remember, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Blakes recently told Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog that “a decision should be coming rather soon.”

With that in mind, given DJ Steward’s exit to the pro ranks and Jordan Goldwire’s transfer out of Durham, there’s no question Duke could use another solid contributor at Blakes’ position.

Meanwhile, the chances don’t look nearly as strong for the Blue Devils to come out on top for Baldwin, a 6-foot-10, 205-pound dangerous sniper who ranks No. 4 overall and has held a Duke basketball offer for almost three years now. Instead, Baldwin’s namesake, who is the head coach at Milwaukee, is still appearing in the Crystal Ball as the overwhelming frontrunner.

That said, the Blue Devils do still own one of the eight Crystal Ball picks for Baldwin. Plus, there has been significant chatter as of late implying Patrick Baldwin Sr. has yet to secure the coveted treasure. And of Baldwin’s nine finalists outside of Milwaukee, Duke is the only one, generally speaking, that recruiting insiders have not completely counted out at this point.

Furthermore, there is still talk that a couple of more Blue Devils from last season’s squad could be contemplating adding their names to the overflowing transfer portal (Jordan Goldwire, Jaemyn Brakefield, and Patrick Tape have already done so).

Now, seeing that the NCAA didn’t pass until Thursday the new transfer rule, which allows guys to switch schools once without having to sit out a year, it sure wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or two more Duke players bolt. If so, and particularly if Wendell Moore or Joey Baker opted to leave, then the potential for a larger supply of minutes on the wing would likely be appealing to Baldwin.

However, this isn’t to say Moore or Baker should leave. Rather, it’s just to say that such moves remain a possibility in the coming days and weeks.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Paolo Banchero has, by all accounts, repeatedly been in Patrick Baldwin Jr.’s ear in recent weeks and months.

On that note, Banchero’s pitch to Baldwin is simple: join him and the other high-profile weapons in helping Duke return to the top of the rankings next season after its disappointing 13-11 campaign this last go-round.

Evidently, Paolo Banchero hasn’t yet given up on the potential prize. Moreover, judging from the delay, chances are Patrick Baldwin Jr. is at least still listening and carefully weighing what seems to be his two top options.