Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Duke Basketball: Whatever Happened to Cassius Stanley?
Following an ACC All-Freshman campaign for the 2019-20 Duke basketball team, former four-star California prep Cassius Stanley got drafted No. 54 overall. The 6-foot-6 guard, among the all-time bounciest Blue Devils as a willing acrobatic showman in Durham, then inked a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers.
Stanley played 24 times for the Pacers as a rookie. However, he averaged only 1.5 points in 3.9 minutes per game off the bench. After becoming an unrestricted free agent the following summer, he headed to the G League yet saw limited action in nine games for the 2021-22 Detroit Pistons via several call-ups on 10-day deals.
Last season, though, Stanley never made it out of the G League. In July, he had a couple of promising appearances in NBA Summer League play with the Denver Nuggets, although no further interest from the league materialized from those efforts.
Now, the 24-year-old is in his first season of international ball, suiting up for Hapoel Afula (6-9) in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
He didn't carve out a leading role right away, as he posted double-digit points in only six of Hapoel Afula's first 11 contests. However, across the squad's last four outings, he's begun to blossom, averaging 22.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from downtown.
There's no guarantee Cassius Stanley earns another shot in the NBA. For now, it seems the former Duke basketball frequent flyer, who averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 boards as a full-time starter for a Blue Devil bunch that finished 25-6 overall and may have thrived in March if not for the canceled postseason, enjoys flying high overseas.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more updates on former Blue Devils and other Duke basketball news.
