The Duke basketball program is expected to lose a lot of its rotation this season, mainly to the NBA Draft. Freshmen Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach are all expected to be top-ten picks. Sion James will also be gone as he's out of eligibility after this season but will likely be taken in the second round. Freshman Isaiah Evans will also have an interesting decision to make: to return to Duke or enter the draft. There have also been reports of heavy interest in Evans if he decides to enter the transfer portal.
Then there's Tyrese Proctor, the Blue Devils' junior lead guard who will also have a difficult decision to make after this season. Proctor is having his best campaign as a Blue Devil, tallying career highs in points per game (12.5), field goal percentage (45.7), and three-point percentage (41.2%) this season.
Despite his showcasing as an elite scorer throughout the season, Proctor is mainly seen as a mid to late second round guy, and some mocks even have the Australian going undrafted.
Here's where some networks have Proctor landing as of now if he were to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft:
ESPN: 43rd overall
NBA.com: 43rd overall
Bleacher Report: 43rd overall
CBS Sports: undrafted
Sports Illustrated: undrafted
Now, although most networks aren't giving Proctor a ton of love in mock drafts, his elite play through the NCAA Tournament will give him a great chance to boost his stock if it continues through the Final Four and potentially beyond.
Through Duke's four tournament games, Proctor is averaging 17 points per game on a ridiculous 67.5% shooting from the floor and 64% shooting from beyond the arc. March Madness can be a huge opportunity for players to boost their draft stocks, and Proctor is taking full advantage of that this season.
Besides being an elite scorer from all thirds of the floor, Proctor has also shown his defensive prowess and capabilities this season at six-foot-six. Proctor is a great perimeter defender with good hands who uses his body well to stop drives and contest shots.
The biggest knock on his draft would probably be his playmaking, as Proctor is averaging a career-low 2.2 assists per game this season. He's been much more aggressive as a scorer this season as he's played off the ball more at times, but hasn't displayed much passing strength.
It will be an interesting situation to follow as the Final Four and beginning of the postseason unfolds, whether Proctor's draft stock rises dramatically or not based on his play in the big dance.
But regardless, Proctor and Scheyer will have to have some long discussions about what's best for Proctor's future. Scheyer and the rest of the program would probably love to get Proctor back for another year, so the junior will have to decide if heading to the NBA Draft is worth it if he remains a second-rounder at best.
Given the current NIL situation in college basketball and the fact that most second-round picks are on two-way or non-guaranteed contracts, it's almost a guarantee that Proctor would make more money in college next season than the NBA.
Proctor will likely be in a similar situation to Alabama's Mark Sears last year, where Sears tested the NBA Draft waters but ultimately decided to return to the Tide as he made much more money playing another year in college than he would've being a second round guy or undrafted free agent signing.