Fresh off winning a National Championship, three of Duke’s freshman phenoms and one lone senior declared for the NBA Draft, with two projected as lottery picks. As these young men enter the world of professional sports, who better than their coach, who just so happens to be one of the GOATs who led two Olympic teams to gold medals, to assess their NBA potential.
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“Jah and Justise have a chance to be stars, really,” he said during a sit-down interview at his office on Tuesday. “They really do.”
In an interview with ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday, Krzyzewski proclaimed Okafor the best player in the draft.
“He’s going to be a high double-double guy in the pros. He’s gifted. He’s got feet and hands that you can’t teach. He’s got an attitude that’s amazing. I think he’s the best player in the draft,” he said.
Krzyzewski has equally big expectations for Tyus Jones, his former point guard and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, who also declared early for the NBA.
“He’s going to be that steady winner,” he said, adding that he hopes Jones will go to a team with veterans to guide him. “That’s what he does. He wins.”
If Coach K is right, this draft class has the potential to be one of the best to ever come out of Duke. Only time will tell if he’s right.
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