The Duke basketball program has been a factory of breeding elite players who eventually make it to the NBA and leave an impact on their franchise.
Some players are able to do that after just one season with the Blue Devils and others take two or three years to develop before they are ready to make the jump to the next level.
Cameron Boozer will be a one-and-done but Nikolas Khamenia, one of his freshman teammates, has emerged as a potential multi-year star for Duke after a strong performance during the first month of his college career.
Khamenia had a mini breakout for the Blue Devils in its victory over Michigan State, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half and finishing with 10 points in the six-point win.
Starting the last two games against Florida and the Spartans, the rookie pulled down nine rebounds and logged a career-high 34 minutes.
Prior to an ankle injury suffered in the opening minutes against the Gators, Khamenia had pulled down at least three rebounds in each game he played – a major reason why he was promoted to the starting lineup. He saw a season-low 12 minutes and two rebounds against Florida.
However, Nik Khamania continues to show why he could be a standout for the Blue Devils.
Offensively, he will not provide much this season besides his spot-up 3-point shooting, but he could develop into a top scoring threat for the team entering his sophomore or junior season, similar to the rise of Isaiah Evans this year.
Defensively, there is still room to grow for Khamenia but his intensity and willingness to rebound as a freshman are very noticeable and not very common for someone at his size.
It could be setting up for a monster couple of years in Durham for the 6-foot-8 forward.
In ESPN’s latest mock draft, Nik Khamenia is projected as a second-round pick, being selected at No. 34 overall.
He could continue to rise up draft boards with improvement this season, but at least another year in college could bring his draft stock to a first-round pick or even a lottery selection and it would be all to the benefit of the Duke basketball team.