The sun has just risen on the day following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, but people are already looking forward to next year and which rising stars will hear their names called during the next Draft.
This year, three Blue Devils were selected during the first round: Cooper Flagg (first overall to the Dallas Mavericks), Kon Knueppel (fourth overall to the Charlotte Hornets), and Khaman Maluach (10th overall to the Houston Rockets and traded to the Phoenix Suns).
Next year, people are already expecting more Duke stars to go in the first round. In On3's way-too-early 2026 NBA Mock Draft, four Blue Devils are listed within the first 23 picks.
The final Blue Devil off the board in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is projected to be point guard Cayden Boozer, who signed with Duke on Oct. 11, 2024, the same day as his brother, Cameron. Boozer was a four-star prospect and the No. 18 overall player in the recruiting class of 2026.
Dame Sarr was one of the biggest pickups for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer this offseason. The Italian-born shooting guard has already played a solid amount of professional ball for FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague and will almost undeniably leave Durham after one year.
Nikolas Khamenia is the first power forward from Duke projected to go off the board. At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, he is already the perfect size for an NBA PF and will more likely than not only spend one season with the Blue Devils.
Cameron Boozer was the No. 3 overall prospect in the class of 2025 and committed to the Blue Devils in the fall of 2024, just like his brother. The 6-foot-9 power forward is expected to spend just one season at Duke, just like the rest of the players on this list, and then head to the NBA.