
Stacking up All 26 Duke Basketball One-And-Dones in History
In 1999, Corey Maggette became the first Duke basketball one-and-done (defined here as players who turned pro following their freshman campaigns). Over two decades later, Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, and Trevor Keels pushed that count to 26 before hearing their names at the 2022 NBA Draft.
Duke has been home to an average of 1.1 one-and-dones per year since 1999, 2.0 per year since 2011, and 2.9 per year since 2015.
Much to the chagrin of those who miss the days when the stars stayed several years, it's fair to say the school became "One-And-Done U" across the last decade of Mike Krzyzewski's 42 seasons at the helm.
So now that Coach K has retired, it's only fitting to rank his one-and-done players over the years. We'll do so while emphasizing their contributions and the Blue Devils' success during their brief college careers, heavily factoring in their memorability from filling up boxscores, wowing crowds, coming up clutch, etc.
This ranking isn't purely a talent show, though. No, there's much more to it than that.
For instance, the penalty here is unapologetically severe for guys whose lone seasons in Durham either ended prematurely due to abrupt quitting (see Jalen Johnson) or got severely truncated due to a lingering injury (see Kyrie Irving).
Ranking Duke basketball's 26 one-and-dones
26. Jalen Johnson (2020-21)
25. Harry Giles (2016-17)
24. DJ Steward (2020-21)
23. Frank Jackson (2016-17)
22. Trevon Duval (2017-18)
21. Kyrie Irving (2010-11)
20. Cassius Stanley (2019-20)
19. Trevor Keels (2021-22)
18. AJ Griffin (2021-22)
17. Cam Reddish (2018-19)
16. Gary Trent Jr. (2017-18)
15. Corey Maggette (1998-99)
14. Austin Rivers (2011-12)
13. Wendell Carter Jr. (2017-18)
12. Brandon Ingram (2015-16)
11. Vernon Carey Jr. (2019-20)
10. Jayson Tatum (2016-17)
9. Jabari Parker (2013-14)
8. Luol Deng (2003-04)
7. Justise Winslow (2014-15)
6. Paolo Banchero (2021-22)
5. Marvin Bagley III (2017-18)
4. RJ Barrett (2018-19)
3. Jahlil Okafor (2014-15)
2. Tyus Jones (2014-15)
1. Zion Williamson (2018-19)
RELATED: List of Every Blue Devil Currently in the NBA
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