NCAA Basketball: Top 15 pending decisions for 2022 NBA Draft

8. Trevor Keels – Duke Blue Devils

2021-22 stats: 11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg

We’ve gotten through most of the annual “Duke NBA Draft status” part of the offseason, as they always have at least three guys with usually easy decisions. For big men Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams, their leaving was no surprise but the trio of starting guards could’ve been close calls. We know that Wendell Moore is gone but point guard Jeremy Roach is set to return for his junior campaign.

That leaves freshman and former five-star prospect Trevor Keels, who had his fair share of ups and downs, making 31% of his three-point attempts despite taking a lot of shots. But when Keels was hot, evident by his 25-point effort against Kentucky in the Champions Classic, he showed that he can be a 1st-round NBA Draft pick.

He’s a 6’4 and 220-pound shooting guard with great size and is a good defender but the offense still needs a little work. If he were to come back, there’s a chance that Duke would make him a go-to scorer, considering that the incoming No. 1 freshmen class is still unproven and Keels would be the returning lead scorer.

Right now, Keels could go anywhere between 20-40 in the draft and a big sophomore campaign could have him in the lottery in 2023. Plus, Duke doesn’t have a true shooting guard on the roster, unless they want to slide five-star prospect Dariq Whitehead from the wing to the two-spot. If he doesn’t come back, look for the Blue Devils to get aggressive in the transfer portal to try and get a proven and talented scorer to pair with Roach.