Duke junior Wendell Moore Jr., became the third Blue Devil this week to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft, following freshman Paolo Banchero and sophomore Mark Williams.
Moore is ranked as the No. 35 overall pick in the latest mock draft by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year and second-team All-ACC selection intends to hire an agent.
“Words cannot express the honor and privilege it is to wear this Duke jersey alongside some of the greatest names in the history of college basketball,” said Moore. “As I announce my intention to enter the 2022 NBA Draft, I can only hope that I’ve done The Brotherhood proud. I’ve grown so much over the last three years – experienced highs and lows that will shape me for the rest of my life. It has truly been an honor to be a Blue Devil, and although I will miss those moments with my teammates, I will cherish them forever.”
The Charlotte, N.C., native established himself as one of the nation’s top all-around performers in his junior season. In 39 starts, he averaged 13.4 points on .500 field goal shooting and .413 from three-point range with 5.3 rebounds and a team-leading 4.4 assists. Moore was one of two players nationally – and the only power conference player – who shot .500+ from the field and .400+ from three-point range while registering 5.0+ boards and 4.0+ assists. Among the ACC, he ranked fourth in assists, third in assist/turnover ratio (+2.26) and 15th in steals (1.41 per game).
“I could not be more proud of the player and person that Wendell has become,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He is everything that is good about our game of college basketball. To see him grow and improve over these last three years has been special and I’m so happy for Wendell and his family to have this moment. He was our co-captain, one of the best all-around players in the nation and a huge part of our success. He was there for us every minute. He led us in assists, led us in minutes, was one of our best shooters and was there in clutch moments. He will be an immediate asset to an NBA team.”
On his way to becoming the first Duke player to win the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, Moore recorded 13 games this season with 10+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists – the fourth-most such stat lines nationally and most among power conference players. Also a member of the ACC All-Defensive Team, he held opponents to just .355 from the field and .317 from three-point range as the primary defender.
In eight games during the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, Moore increased his averages to 14.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting .423 from behind the arc and dishing out 3.5 assists. The NABC and USBWA All-District pick scored in double figures in each of Duke’s five NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
Duke has had at least one player selected in 34 of 41 NBA Drafts under Krzyzewski. Coach K has tutored 68 draft picks since taking over the Blue Devils program, including a Draft-record 42 first-round selections.
Photo/Release via Duke Athletics
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