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Duke Makes Major Announcement About Star Senior Guard

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan Massey | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 12:55 PM ET

The Duke Blue Devils did not achieve their ultimate goal during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Cooper Flagg and company were able to make a run to the Final Four, but were eliminated by the eventual runner-up Houston Cougars.

Despite coming up short, Jon Scheyer and company have nothing to hang their heads about. It was a successful all-around year.

While the majority of the headlines surrounding the Duke basketball program revolved around Flagg, there were other key players who drove the successful campaign. One of those players was none other than senior guard Sion James.

Due to his strong season, James was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team. He has also received another major award.

On Wednesday, the Blue Devils announced that James had been named to the 2024-25 Academic All-American team.

Congrats to our guy @SionJames14!

One of 15 hoopers named to the 2024-25 Academic All-America team! pic.twitter.com/bTzfAYlDv7
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 16, 2025

James played in 39 games throughout the course of the year, starting in 32 of those appearances. He averaged 8.6 points per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.8 steals. James shot 51.6% from the floor and 41.3% from the 3-point arc.

Now, James is focused on the 2025 NBA draft. He is currently projected to be a second-round pick.

In Bleacher Report's latest mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman, James was predicted to land with the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round at pick No. 56 overall.

Not only did Wasserman project him to be taken No. 56 overall, he also dropped an intriguing NBA comparison for the Duke standout. Wasserman believes that James is a similar player to Wendell Moore Jr., who currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets and is a former Blue Devils player as well.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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