Those who build their careers assessing basketball players’ skills generally have some solid knowledge on the subject—at least most of them do. This expertise is typically essential for NBA decision-makers, which explains why former players trained at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski (such as Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Billy King, and Danny Ferry) and those from North Carolina under Dean Smith (including Mitch Kupchak, Michael Jordan, and Donnie Walsh) secured roles as NBA general managers.
This foundational knowledge likely influences how players are chosen for NBA teams. The NBA holds America’s most renowned professional sports draft, consisting of just two rounds since 1989. Only first-round picks are guaranteed contracts and salaries, although second-round selections are increasingly earning starting agreements.
Many talented players fall to the second round, exemplified by Duke’s Carlos Boozer in 2002. Since 2020, Duke alone has produced rising second-round prospects like Vernon Carey Jr., Tre Jones, and Kyle Filipowski.
In the most recent draft on June 12, ACC players made up 20 percent of the 60 draftees, a noticeable increase from only eight players (13.3 percent) the year before.
Over the past two years—after the ACC expanded by adding three more programs, pushing its total to 18—16.7 percent of NBA draftees (20 out of 120) came from the conference.
During this period, Duke contributed 8 of the 20 ACC draftees, accounting for 40 percent of the conference’s total.
Among the top NBA prospects from the ACC recently are four top-10 picks from Duke: Cameron Boozer (3rd in 2026) and Cooper Flagg (1st), Kon Knueppel (4th), and Khaman Maluach (10th) from 2025. Since Jon Scheyer became head coach in 2022, Duke has seen seven players selected in the first round.
Beyond Duke, the top talent from the ACC has been more dispersed.
The second highest number of No.1 picks from the ACC over the past two years came from UNC with two players. Caleb Wilson went fourth in 2026 while Drake Powell was the 22nd pick in 2025. A possible factor behind Hubert Davis’ dismissal may have been his poor decision to have an injured Wilson practice, which led to him breaking his right thumb while recovering from a fractured left hand.
Louisville, having been rebuilt, produced the 6th overall pick in 2026 with the injury-prone guard Mikel Brown Jr.
Another first-round pick from the ACC in 2026, the eighth in the past two drafts, was Ebuka Okorie—a surprising name to some due to his Stanford background. However, coach Kyle Smith has quietly forged strong teams, leading Stanford to consecutive 20-win seasons since joining the ACC.
In fact, only six ACC schools won 20 or more games in each of the last two seasons: Clemson, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, and Stanford.
Stanford’s standout big man, Maxime Raynaud, who was second in ACC Player of the Year voting to Flagg (76 to 4), was selected by Sacramento in the second round of 2025, signed a three-year $5.95 million deal, and started 56 games as a rookie with the Kings in 2025-26.
One challenge for Cardinal players gaining recognition is Stanford’s relatively low home-court energy, reflected in the lowest ACC attendance last year at just 3,899 fans per game. That, however, was an improvement over 2,951 fans per game during their ACC debut season in 2025. With a 7,233 capacity at Maples Pavilion, Stanford fans may have yet to fully embrace their team’s place in the traditionally North Carolina-centric league.
Fan Take: This trend underscores the ACC’s growing influence as a powerhouse in supplying NBA talent, especially with Duke’s continued dominance. For basketball fans, it signals a future where the conference will not only shape the pro talent pool but also elevate the competition and excitement at both collegiate and professional levels.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
