Grading Duke's Portal Addition of John Blackwell

Blackwell was one of the most sought-after backcourt pieces in the entire portal, and he has a chance to be the Blue Devils' No. 1 scoring option next season.

What Blackwell Brings to Duke

The junior established himself as one of the best scorers in college basketball last season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals a night on 43.0% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from three on 7.3 attempts. Blackwell earned Third Team All-Big 10 honors, tallied over 20 points in 15 outings, and scored over 30 in five.

Above all, Blackwell gives Duke a reliable high-volume outside shooter, something it somewhat lacked last season. The Blue Devils ranked 132nd nationally at KenPom in team three-point shooting percentage (34.7), and their leading outside shooter was Isaiah Evans, who made 101 on a 36.1% clip. The next man up was Cameron Boozer, who made 54.

Blackwell will immediately slide into the lineup as the program's new lethal shooting threat, assuming Evans leaves for the NBA, which is still up in the air. Additionally, Blackwell can score in a lot of different ways.

Moving Without the Basketball

The Michigan native is a great cutter and can move without the basketball very well, which will likely bode well for him on a Duke squad that ranked inside the top 50 last season in assist rate at KenPom. Duke's big man tandem of Patrick Ngongba and Scharnowski each averaged over two assists a game last year, which will likely reward Blackwell through screening action.

All in all, Blackwell will have the freedom to have the ball in his hands and control the offense. Unusually, the Blue Devils don't have a set "star" heading into the 2026-27 campaign, at least in the scoring department. That role will likely be filled by Blackwell.

Duke has found its go-to guy on offense next season, and Blackwell could enter the campaign as an All-American candidate.

Grade: A