There's no better scouting department in college basketball than the one at Duke. Jon Scheyer and his staff are not given enough credit for their ability to identify talent.
It's Duke, so obviously the most talented players in the country are going to be interested in playing for the Blue Devils. But two Transfer Portal cycles in a row have seen Scheyer and company target a player who ultimately blew up in the pre-draft process.
A year ago, it was Washington State transfer Cedric Coward, who went from a relative unknown to the NBA Draft lottery. Coward committed to Duke over Alabama, but he never arrived in Durham after shooting up the draft boards during the pre-draft process. He was ultimately the No. 13 pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, where he is finally teammates with Cameron Boozer.
In the latest portal cycle, it was no secret that Duke coveted Santa Clara's Allen Graves, an advanced stats darling.
But Scheyer refused to allow for a Coward 2.0 situation to unfold. He decided against prioritizing Graves, which proved to be the right choice as he ultimately remained in the NBA Draft. He was selected No. 19 by the Toronto Raptors, and he immediately validated everyone's belief with a brilliant Summer League debut on Friday night.
Former Duke target Allen Graves shines in his Summer League debut
Graves stuffed the stat sheet for the Raptors in his Las Vegas Summer League debut. He scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots. He looked every bit like the player Scheyer and many thought he was going to be:
#19 pick Allen Graves FILLED the stat sheet for the @Raptors in his NBA Summer League debut:
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2026
🦖 22 PTS (team-high)
🦖 13 REB
🦖 3 STL
🦖 2 BLK
🦖 3 3PM pic.twitter.com/3JC2b5SQJv
It's easy to get lost in dreaming about what Graves could have done in Durham next season. His all-around game would have been a glove-like fit for the Blue Devils. Imagine Maliq Brown with an extensive offensive bag; that's the kind of impact Graves can make on the floor. He does all the little things to impact winning, while also being able to score at all three levels.
But the truth is that Graves was never going to be in college another season. His Summer League debut was further proof of that. He was ready to make the NBA leap. Scheyer made the right decision by prioritizing guys like John Blackwell and Drew Scharnowski instead.
Graves is another feather in the cap of the Duke scouting department, though. He's exactly the player Scheyer believed he would be.
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