Who could Duke add to roster? What players in transfer portal, NBA draft are saying
Duke could use another shooter for next season’s basketball team.
Baylor Scheierman qualifies as that, having made 50.8% of his shots at South Dakota State last season, including 46.9% of his 3-pointers. So, too, does A.J. Green, who shot 41% overall (38.7% on 3-pointers) at Northern Iowa last season.
Though Scheierman decided to play at Creighton next season if he stays in college basketball, Green remains a real possibility for the Blue Devils and is on his way to Durham for a campus visit on Wednesday.
The 6-4 shooting guard, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, told The News & Observer Tuesday that, if he stays in college basketball, he’ll either play at Iowa State or Duke.
“Basically, if I go back, I think it will be either Iowa State or Duke,” Green said.
On Monday and Tuesday, both Green and Scheierman participated in the NBA’s G League Elite Camp at Wintrust Arena, hoping to get the feedback they need to stay in the draft pool and forego their college eligibility. Neither were among the seven G League Elite Camp participants invited to stay in Chicago for the NBA Scouting Combine, though.
So Green is on his way to check out Duke in person.
He tested well in most of the G League Elite Camp’s shooting drills, hitting 17 of 25 (68%) 3-pointers in one setting, and drilling 17 of 20 (85%) closer shots during another drill. He made only 15 of 30 shots (50%) in a shooting off the dribble drill, but sank 9 of 10 in a free throw shooting drill.
The NCAA’s deadline for to retain eligibility by withdrawing from the draft is 11:59 p.m. ET on June 1. Green plans to take all of that time before making his decision.
“I wish I could give you a `I’m leaning one way or the other’, but I’m still up in the air about it,” Green said. “I think over the next few days I’ll talk to my agent, talk to my parents, and hopefully get closer to a decision on what I’m feeling. But I’m still gonna take the rest of the month.”
His family’s basketball history could play a key factor in his decision. His father, Kyle, is an assistant coach at Iowa State who previously was an assistant at Northern Iowa earlier in A.J. Green’s college career.
That said, he’s interested in what playing on a stage like Duke could provide him. He and Duke coach Jon Scheyer have discussed what he would bring to the Blue Devils next season.
“Obviously, it’s a great program,” Green said. “They’ve proven year after year they produce guys, guys like some who have played my position. I’ve talked to Scheyer quite a bit. The group he has coming in are extremely great players. They need a lead guard to play the two or the one, along with (Jeremy) Roach. I know that if I were to go there, I could fill that role. Basically, it’s the closest thing to a pro team at the college level.”
Green has already played three full seasons and part of another at Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference. He has another year of eligibility thanks to the NCAA’s pandemic protocols. He only played three games during the 2020-21 season.
He’s proven to be the kind of perimeter scorer Duke could use. He was named MVC player of the year in 2020, when he averaged 19.7 points per game, and won it a second time last spring.
On Monday, during a 40-minute G League Elite Camp scrimmage, Green hit 4 of 10 shots overall, including 3 of 8 3-pointers, to score 11 points in 19 minutes, 19 seconds of play. He added three assists with no turnovers.
In Tuesday’s scrimmage, he scored three points on 1 of 5 shooting (1 of 4 3-pointers) while grabbing three rebounds and collecting five assists in 17 minutes of play.
When recruiting Scheierman, Duke’s coaches pointed to current Los Angeles Clippers guard Luke Kennard as an example of how a left-handed shooter like Scheierman can thrive with the Blue Devils. Kennard was the ACC tournament MVP when Duke won the 2017 ACC championship before becoming the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
“They were talking about Luke Kennard,” Scheierman said Monday. “He played similar to me and that was a big, big thing. They talked about just kind of being able to dribble, pass, shoot, and obviously how it looks as a lefty.”
In the end, though, the Nebraska-born Scheierman decided that if he does play college basketball next season, it will be close to home at Creighton in Omaha.
Both Green and Scheierman joined a host of other college players maximizing their options by entering their names in the NCAA transfer portal while also declaring for the NBA draft.
Scheierman had Duke among his five finalists for a new college home.
The 6-6 shooting guard said he had “three or four” conversations with Duke’s coaching staff about what role he would play if he joined the Blue Devils.
“It was good,” Scheierman said. “But I just didn’t necessarily have the relationship with them that I had with other schools.”
South Dakota State was the only Division I school that offered Scheierman a scholarship following his prep career at Aurora (Neb.) High School. Still, he thrived there, winning the Summit League player of the year last season when the Jackrabbits went 30-5, including an 18-0 league mark, and reached the NCAA tournament.
Providence posted a 66-57 win over the 13th-seeded Jackrabbits, even though Scheierman produced 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Scheierman is working hard to impress NBA scouts enough that he’ll start his professional career this summer. He played 17 minutes and 14 seconds in a G League Elite Camp 40-minute scrimmage on Monday, going scoreless while missing three shots, including two 3-pointers.
On Tuesday, he scored nine points with eight rebounds in 17 minutes, 33 seconds of play. He made 3 of 7 shots (3 of 6 3-pointers).
If he returns to college, it will be with Creighton and he anticipates the Bluejays having a talented team.
“The way they play,” Scheierman said, “I think it really fits my game and how I like to play. So I feel like I can come in and make an impact right away. And they have a great team coming back and I think we can make a deep run in March as well.”
Meanwhile, Duke awaits word if 6-4 guard Trevor Keels, who has declared for the draft, will stay on the path toward professional basketball or return to the Blue Devils. Keels is among the 76 players invited to participate in the NBA’s scouting combine beginning Wednesday in Chicago.
Scheierman hoped to play well enough Monday and Tuesday to be invited to stick around and compete in the full scouting combine and maybe stay in the NBA Draft pool.
If not, he’ll play for Creighton next season.
This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Who could Duke add to roster? What players in transfer portal, NBA draft are saying."