The Duke basketball program doesn’t usually get a major impact from transfers but there is no denying the void Sion James will leave as he exits the team.
James, a former 4-year player at Tulane, joined a Blue Devil transfer portal class that was lacking in firepower but was exactly what the team needed to be successful. The 6-foot-6 guard did a little bit of everything on the court, making shots when called upon and defending at a high level.
He brought a toughness that was needed in the backcourt with a very young core that did not have experience in college basketball and was an even better person away from the court.
“Lifelong Memories,” he captioned of his time at Duke on Instagram Tuesday night.
“Thank you @dukembb for the time of my life.”
James ended his Duke career by starting 32-of-39 games and averaging 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 51.6-percent from the floor and 41.3-percent from 3-point range.
He was also named to the ACC All-Defensive Team, the only conference honor he landed for his play on the court in his five-year career.
Sion James is one of just two confirmed players that will not be back at Duke next season, joining his fellow fifth-year senior Mason Gillis who transferred from Purdue, however, the overwhelming expectation is the Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach will be entering the NBA Draft despite no official confirmation yet.
Jon Scheyer will have a very difficult time trying to find a player to replace James next season, although the Blue Devils did make the five finalists for Washington State transfer Cedric Coward, who has a similar build to the Georgia native.
Also listed at 6-foot-6, Coward is slightly lighter than James by almost 15 pounds of their publicized weight.
Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and Washington also made his group of finalists according to the report.
Regardless if Duke lands Coward or not, the impact that Sion James left at Duke will be felt for quite a while both on and off the basketball court.