Jon Scheyer makes 2 cutting-edge additions to his Duke basketball staff with NBA ties

Jon Scheyer is always looking for creative ways to improve Duke basketball both on and off the court. One of his best traits as the leader of the program is how he's been able to identify talented assistants and support staff.

For the second offseason in a row, Duke had an opening on the bench. After losing Jai Lucas to Miami the year before, Scheyer saw assistant Evan Bradds accept the head coaching position at Belmont at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament.

Fans have wondered for a while who would fill that spot on the bench, with Scheyer showing patience and focusing solely on filling out the roster via the Transfer Portal and the high school class before turning his attention to staff additions.

That wait is over.

Duke announced the hire of KJ Conklin on Tuesday as an assistant coach on Scheyer's staff. Conklin is an Illinois State graduate and has spent the last two years working in the NBA as an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. He was also the director of player development there.

Prior to that, Conklin served as the director of player development for Texas basketball.

Conklin clearly stood out during the interview process, as a spot on Scheyer's staff is one of the most coveted assistant coaching positions in basketball. His experience in the G-League and with player development were clear separators for him in the process.

Jon Scheyer and Duke prioritizing NBA-ties and player development with staff additions.

Conklin was not the only staff addition made by Duke on Tuesday. The Blue Devils also announced the addition of Alexander Powell to the front office as the Executive Director of Basketball.

Powell brings NBA experience and an analytical mind to the Duke staff. Powell is a graduate of Kenyon College and received a Master's Degree in data science from Northwestern in 2022. He has worked for the Charlotte Hornets as the Head of Quantitative Analysis & Development and, most recently, with the Portland Trail Blazers as the Director of Basketball Innovation.

In the release, his role at Duke was described as:

"Develop NBA-caliber front office process in player evaluation and player development. Bring cutting-edge analytics capabilities to Duke basketball."

Scheyer understands that to stay at the pinnacle of the sport, you can never stop growing. That's why Powell is being added as Duke looks to lean heavily into analytics, which has taken the basketball world by storm at both the NBA and now college level.

Both Conklin and Powell seem like excellent additions to the Duke staff.

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