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Duke Basketball Sharpshooter Rising in Mock Drafts
Regardless of whether or not Jared McCain becomes a Duke basketball sophomore, it seems he already has an NBA-ready game.
Jared McCain can seemingly do it all. The Duke basketball freshman guard has a long list of talents that includes singing, dancing, playing the piano, and of course, playing basketball. He can now add the talent of rising up mock drafts to that list.
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After his stellar performances in the Blue Devils’ pair of opening weekend victories in the NCAA Tournament, the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter has found his name appearing even higher in a collection of NBA mock drafts that have McCain going as high as a lottery selection in some places.
Coming to Durham as a five-star recruit out of Sacramento, Calif., he originally projected as a prospect who could be a multi-year contributor for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils. But on his way to starting all 34 of Duke’s games this season, McCain’s name slowly but surely began to enter the NBA conversation before rising to a projected first rounder in recent months.
McCain was able to put both the world and NBA scouts on notice in Duke’s victories over Vermont and James Madison this past weekend in Brooklyn, with the freshman scoring 15 points on just nine shots against Vermont before exploding for a 30-point outing against James Madison that included eight 3-point makes, a new Duke basketball record in March Madness action.
Those performances helped propel the 20-year-old to the No. 11 spot in a mock draft put together by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, an eight-spot jump from where he last appeared in a Wasserman mock just a week prior.
He’s not the only Duke player to appear in Wasserman's projected first round, with teammate Kyle Filipowski checking in just two spots behind at pick No. 13. No other Blue Devils pop up in either round.
With the Blue Devils in Dallas and set to take on No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 at 9:39 p.m. ET Friday, McCain has yet another opportunity to showcase his skills on a national stage. His play will be a key component if Jon Scheyer's second Duke basketball squad hopes to advance past the Cougars and into the Elite Eight.
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But while it’s a noteworthy accomplishment for McCain to profile as a lottery pick, most Blue Devil fans will hold out hope that the freshman sensation will return to Durham for another year.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.
