While there's never been any real doubt about John Blackwell exiting the draft and making good on his commitment to play for Duke, that hasn't stopped some anxiety-inducing moments in the pre-draft process for Blue Devil fans. Call it scar tissue from the Cedric Coward saga a year ago.
Blackwell performed well during NBA Combine scrimmages last week in Chicago, but his height and negative wingspan are major red flags that will keep him out of first-round draft discussions. That's why he's always seemed destined to arrive in Durham.
But with five days remaining until the NCAA's deadline for prospects to exit the draft process and maintain college eligibility - not that that means anything, right Will Wade? - Blackwell has yet to make a formal announcement.
If he's looking for more data points, The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman just provided one.
Goodman posted on his X account on Friday that he polled 10 NBA executives about a litany of pro prospects who are facing stay-or-go decisions between now and May 27th. Of the 10, all of them believe Blackwell should return to college and exit the draft:
I talked to 10 NBA executives and got their takes on what these guys should do:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 22, 2026
Christian Anderson: 10 (go to NBA), 0 (back to college)
Meleek Thomas: 9 (NBA), 1 (college)
Allen Graves: 8 (NBA), 2 (college)
Tounde Yessoufou: 5 (NBA), 5 (college)
Koa Peat: 7 (college), 3 (NBA)…
John Blackwell given resounding feedback to exit the NBA Draft
Blackwell waiting this long may have nothing to do with him being undecided on his future. He could very well be taking these last few days to work out with teams and gather as much one-on-one feedback from scouts as he can get. The pre-draft process is pivotal for prospects, even ones with murky NBA futures.
With one season of eligibility remaining in college, this is Blackwell's final opportunity to gather feedback directly from NBA teams on what he needs to work on to have a shot at carving out a role at the next level. He's smart to use every minute he can.
And just because he's not keeping Duke fans up to date, it doesn't mean that Jon Scheyer is out of the loop, either. Blackwell said at the Combine last week that he and Scheyer have been in frequent communication. The Duke head coach knows exactly where things stand with the Wisconsin transfer, and if he had any anxiety at all about Blackwell sticking in the draft, he would be frantically working on contingency plans for next season's roster.
Scheyer has once again built a championship-capable roster. The last piece of the puzzle is Blackwell making the official announcement that he's withdrawing from the NBA Draft. That continues to be a matter of when, not if.
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