After three seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, John Blackwell entered the transfer portal and committed to the Duke Blue Devils, but he also declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, leaving his options open, whether his projection in the draft was favorable or not.
However, while Blackwell declaring for the Draft created a little tension in Durham, the most recent mock drafts have allowed the Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer to relax a little bit.
Most projections have Blackwell hearing his name called in the second round of the NBA Draft, a lot lower on the draft board than the veteran guard was hoping for.
With those projections, most experts are also expecting him to stay at the collegiate level, heading to Duke for his first, and most likely only, season with the Blue Devils.
John Blackwell expected to return to college
While Blackwell has already had an impressive collegiate career, good enough to play for the Blue Devils, most experts aren't sold on him being completely prepared for the league.
That's one thing that Scheyer knows how to fix, continuously sending Duke players to the NBA after just a season or two, and continuously watching them excel at the next level.
Just this season, former Blue Devils Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were the top finishers for the NBA Rookie of the Year, with Flagg bringing home the award in the end.
Spending a season at Duke could undeniably push Blackwell into the category of a first-round pick in next year's NBA Mock Drafts, which is looking more and more likely to be his goal, if not his expectation.
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Blackwell isn't the only player who has been projected as a second-round pick and likely to return to college because of it.
Illinois's Andrej Stojakovic, Michigan State's Jeremy Fears, and Louisville's Flory Bidunga are also expected to return to college after declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello.
The 2026 NBA Draft will begin at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday, June 23. The second round will take place on the following evening. Both nights, the draft will be available on ESPN as it unfolds from the Barclays Center; the first night will also be available on ABC.
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