NBA Season Begins With 24 Blue Devils on Opening Day Rosters

DURHAM, N.C. – With opening night in the NBA set for Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Duke men’s basketball program has 24 members of The Brotherhood on opening-day rosters. The list was compiled from the NBA’s official opening-day rosters (including two-way and inactive lists) and includes any Blue Devil that played and finished their college basketball careers at Duke.

The Blue Devils have players at a total of 18 different franchises, including a trio in Phoenix (Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee) and four duos in Charlotte (Seth Curry and Mark Williams), Dallas (Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II), New Orleans (Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson) and Orlando (Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.).

Jayson Tatum, a forward/guard for the Boston Celtics, is coming off his first NBA championship during the 2023-24 season. Tatum, a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, helped lead the Celtics to a league-leading 64 regular-season wins and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the NBA Finals. Brothers Tre and Tyus Jones, playing for San Antonio and Phoenix, respectively, are scheduled to play each other three times during the regular season, including once during group play of the NBA Cup.

Duke’s two draftees from the 2023-24 squad, Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, are set to make their NBA debuts this season. McCain, Duke’s 56th all-time first-round pick, averaged 22.8 minutes during the preseason while scoring 12.8 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field overall and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. Filipowski averaged 13.2 minutes during the preseason while collecting 4.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Duke’s two dozen NBA players also join a long list of former players, coaches, managers and Duke graduates that serve on NBA coaching staffs or in front office roles for 26 of league’s 30 teams, and for the league office. That includes former Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who joined the NBA this summer as a special advisor, 1984 Duke graduate Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner), Grant Hill (part owner of the Atlanta Hawks), Elton Brand (General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers), Trajan Landon (President of Basketball Operations of the Detroit Pistons), Quin Snyder (Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks), Mike Dunleavy (General Manager of the Golden State Warriors) and JJ Redick (Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers).

Blue Devils in the NBA

Grayson Allen – Phoenix

Marvin Bagley III – Washington

Paolo Banchero – Orlando

RJ Barrett – Toronto

Wendell Carter Jr. – Orlando

Seth Curry – Charlotte

Kyle Filipowski – Utah

Brandon Ingram – New Orleans

Kyrie Irving – Dallas

Jalen Johnson – Atlanta

Tre Jones – San Antonio

Tyus Jones – Phoenix

Luke Kennard – Memphis

Dereck Lively II – Dallas

Jared McCain – Philadelphia

Wendell Moore Jr. – Detroit

Mason Plumlee – Phoenix

Cam Reddish – LA Lakers

D.J. Steward – Chicago

Jayson Tatum – Boston

Gary Trent Jr. – Milwaukee

Dariq Whitehead – Brooklyn

Mark Williams – Charlotte

Zion Williamson – New Orleans

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMBB”.

 

Duke Centennial

In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

 

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