2022 NBA draft: Duke sets program record with 5 players selected

Mike Krzyzewski didn’t win a title on his way out the door, but he did set a new program record after a massive showing at the draft on Thursday night.

There were five Duke players selected in the NBA draft, which set a new program record.

Almost all of them went in the first round, too.

Paolo Banchero kicked things off when the Orlando Magic took him with the No. 1 overall pick. His pick came as a bit of a surprise, as many expected that Jabari Smith was going off the board first, though he dropped to No. 3.

The Blue Devils then went back-to-back at Nos. 15 and 16 with Mark Williams going to the Charlotte Hornets and then A.J. Griffin going to the Atlanta Hawks, respectively. Wendell Moore rounded out the first round for Duke at No. 26, where he went to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a trade with the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.

Trevor Keels closed out the day in the second round when the New York Knicks opted for the guard at No. 42.

While that’s an impressive showing for one program, it’s just shy of the record in the common draft era. Kentucky had six players selected in the 2012 draft, led by Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, which set a record since the draft moved to two rounds. The Wildcats matched that mark in 2015 in the draft that saw Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley Stein and Devin Booker go.

Still, Duke is now one of just five programs to have at least five players taken in the same draft, joining Kentucky, Kansas, Florida and UConn.

What a way to end the Coach K era.