Duke Basketball Star Jared McCain Teases Future on Social Media

With 2.7 million followers on TikTok and NIL deals galore, Jared McCain is surely doing well financially as a Duke basketball player. So, despite the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter's consistently rising stock in the eyes of NBA experts, many fans on social media have expressed hope that he'll return to Durham for a sophomore campaign.

But on the subject of mock drafts, the latest one courtesy of Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman predicts the former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American to come off the board at No. 12 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If he's a projected lottery pick, then one might suspect he's leaning toward forgoing his three years of remaining eligibility to test his abilities at the next level and secure a guaranteed contract.

McCain, a starter in all 36 Duke games, was an All-ACC Freshman and NCAA All-Region selection. He averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 41.4 percent beyond the arc.

Whatever he decides to do next, there's no doubt he's thankful for his rookie campaign in Durham. On Saturday evening, the 20-year-old posted a collection of pictures and video from the season on Instagram, captioning them with one word in all caps: "GRATITUDE."

"It's meant everything to me to come here," Jared McCain told Blue Devil Country on SI during Duke's press conference following the Elite Eight loss to NC State in Dallas on Sunday night, "for [Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer] to believe in me, for my teammates to believe in me. Especially in the beginning of the year when I felt like I couldn't get things going as a freshman, they instilled confidence in me, especially him [Scheyer] right here."

“In the beginning of the year when I felt like I couldn’t get things going, they instilled confidence in me”

All the feels from Jared McCain#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/psgJicgYZm
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2024

Although the Blue Devils might lose several undergraduates to the pro ranks in the coming weeks, the only other Duke talent appearing in either round of Wasserman's latest mock draft is sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski at No. 13 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.

April 26 is the deadline for undergraduates to declare for the NBA Draft (June 26-27). However, they then have until June 16 to withdraw their names in order to return to school.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.