As it turns out, any anxiety about John Blackwell sticking in the NBA Draft and not making good on his commitment to Duke was always misplaced.
As has long been expected, the Wisconsin transfer made his decision official on Friday. Shortly after Jeff Goodman released a poll of 10 NBA executives that unanimously stated Blackwell should bypass the draft and return to college to play for Duke, he officially pulled his name out of the draft to set the stage for his senior season in Durham:
NEWS: Duke commit John Blackwell will withdraw from the NBA Draft and play for the Blue Devils this upcoming season, he told @On3. ⁰⁰The 6-5 junior guard averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season, earning Third Team All-Big Ten honors at Wisconsin.… pic.twitter.com/g2Jq17C5hE
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 22, 2026
John Blackwell officially withdraws from the NBA Draft to play for Duke
That uniform looks good on him, doesn't it?
Blackwell was the biggest splash for Jon Scheyer and company during the Transfer Portal circle. He was one of the biggest fish available, and Scheyer was able to reel him into the boat and then get him to sidestep the NBA Draft to report to Durham.
Blackwell was a 3rd Team All Big Ten selection as a junior at Wisconsin, averaging over 19 points per game and knocking down 39.1% of his three-point attempts. He'll bring a three-level scoring ability to the Duke backcourt that the Blue Devils have missed in recent seasons.
Alongside Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, and incoming 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr., Duke has one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in college basketball.
Duke won't have a Cameron Boozer or Cooper Flagg-type freshman, but Blackwell gives them an experienced, high-level guard who can carry the team in March.
He was the last missing puzzle piece for Duke's 2026-27 roster. Blackwell is part of a three-man portal class that includes Belmont's Drew Scharnowski and Loyola's Jacob Theodosiou. That trio combines with the No. 1 high school class in the country, featuring a trio of 5-stars stateside, and one 5-star from the international ranks who might have the highest ceiling of any player playing college basketball next season.
Along with all that, Scheyer landed some major roster retention wins by bringing back Patrick Ngongba II, Dame Sarr, Cayden Boozer, and Caleb Foster.
With Blackwell officially on board, Duke should be heavily in contention, alongside Florida, to be preseason No. 1. Preseason rankings are meaningless, however, with the only thing that matters to Scheyer and the Cameron Crazies being where the season ends up. Breaking the national championship drought is priority No. 1, and Scheyer has once again assembled a roster capable of cutting down the nets.
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