Duke basketball leads all college programs in terms of former players on the active rosters of the four teams remaining in the NBA playoffs, as the conference finals begin this week.
Related: Alum Duke Trajan Langdon is on the list of candidates to lead the franchise.
Jayson Tatum, a one-and-done player for the Blue Devils in 2016-17, is the only Duke player to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. That being said, the five-time All-Star is the best Blue Devil in the NBA and arguably has the best chance to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy this round.
He and the top-seeded Boston Celtics will host the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Colleges with the most players appearing in the NBA Conference Finals:
Duke – 4
Kentucky – 3
Iowa State University – 2
Arizona – 2
University of California Los Angeles – 2
Vanderbilt – 2
Arkansas – 2 pic.twitter.com/7iizbPt2b0— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) May 20, 2024
As for the Western Conference finals between the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves and fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, which begins Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Minnesota, the contribution levels of the three participating former Blue Devils will be It varies.
Minnesota wing Wendell Moore Jr., currently in his second season with the Timberwolves after being selected 26th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft after three seasons with Durham, is typically a lopsided player. He was involved in the event for only a few minutes.
Who do you think will win the ring this year? #NBAplayoffs#DukeintheNBA 😈🏆 pic.twitter.com/nA2b7Z7y1g
— Duke University Men's Basketball Team (@DukeMBB) May 20, 2024
Meanwhile, 2010-11 Duke University Basketball one-and-danger guard Kyrie Irving is a former No. 1 overall draft pick, eight-time All-Star selection, full-time starter for the 2016 NBA champions (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Maverick. He will co-star with South Korean sensation Luka Doncic.
Then there's Dallas rookie Derek Lively II, who was just named to the All-Rookie second team. He was a lottery pick last summer after a one-time campaign with the Blue Devils.
The last remaining team from the All-Rookie team 😤
More D-Live will appear at WCF!! ️ #MFFL pic.twitter.com/YpDKNRIxGj
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 20, 2024
The 7-footer isn't the Mavericks' starting center, but his minutes are on the rise, and for good reason: Lively posted an astounding plus-minus of +71 in the Mavericks' 6-game series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder (636-636).
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