Duke’s Blackwell To Officially Return to College, Suit Up for Duke

The Duke Blue Devils got some good news regarding their most prized offseason acquisition, as Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will be withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, and will suit up for Duke next season.

At the start of the offseason, Blackwell entered the transfer portal after a stellar season at Wisconsin that saw him average over 19 points per game on good efficiency. After some time in the portal, he committed to Duke to play under Jon Scheyer next season.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

However, his commitment came with a catch: Blackwell also entered his name in the 2026 NBA Draft along with committing to Duke, leaving open the possibility that he wouldn’t suit up for the Blue Devils at all, and making their fans nervous that their newest talent wouldn’t be coming.

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Blackwell’s Feedback Not Ideal

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Now, Blackwell has finally decided to withdraw his name from the draft, and officially come to the Blue Devils next season. After some time at the NBA Draft Combine, Blackwell didn’t receive quite the feedback he had hoped.

Blackwell’s poor measurements for NBA standards, his wingspan measured in at 6-foot-2, despite standing at 6-foot-3 tall, are the main kicker for why his draft stock has remained low. On most mock draft boards, Blackwell appears either as a late-second pick or completely undrafted, a drastic step down from where he likely envisioned himself.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John…

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Publish date : 2026-05-24 10:00:00

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