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Two Duke first-rounders among five ACC players taken in 2023 NBA Draft

Chris Graham

acc basketball Two Duke guys went in the first round of the two-round NBA Draft Thursday night, with three other players from the ACC going in the second round.

Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II was the first ACC player taken off the board as a lottery pick, going No. 12 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dariq Whitehead, a freshman guard from Duke, also was a first-round pick, going No. 22 overall to the Brooklyn Nets.

Clemson’s Hunter Tyson (No. 37 overall, Oklahoma City) and Miami’s Jordan Miller (No. 48 overall, Los Angeles Clippers) and Isaiah Wong (No. 55, Indiana) went in the second round.

Dereck Lively II, C, Duke

First Round/No. 12 overall, Oklahoma City (proposed trade to Dallas)

Lively was one of the ACC’s best defensive players during the 2022-23 season, finishing with 82 blocked shots – five shy of the NCAA lead – to rank second in the ACC, eighth nationally and lead all Division I freshmen. He earned spots on the ACC All-Freshman Team and ACC All-Defensive Team and was a second-team All-ACC Tournament honoree. His 82 blocks were second most by a Duke freshman in a single season and tied for the 10th most by any Duke player in a season. He registered at least one block in 32 of his 34 games played and had 23 games with multiple blocks, 10 with three or more and five with five or more.

Dariq Whitehead, G, Duke 

First Round/No. 22 overall, Brooklyn Nets

Whitehead played in 28 games and made seven starts for the Blue Devils, averaging 8.3 ppg while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and a team-leading 42.4 percent from three-point range, which was the fifth best three-point percentage by a Duke freshman all-time. Whitehead played some of his best basketball in the postseason, scoring 16 points against Miami in the ACC Tournament semifinals on 4-of-8 from the field and recording four steals in the ACC Championship Game win over Virginia. Against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament First Round, Whitehead scored 13 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting (3-of-3 from deep) and played a career-high 33 minutes in the second-round game against Tennessee.

Hunter Tyson, F, Clemson

Second Round/No. 37 overall, Oklahoma City Thunder

A 2023 first-team All-ACC honoree, Tyson also was selected to the USBWA and NABC All-District teams. He averaged 15.3 ppg and 9.7 while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent from three and 83.8 percent from the free throw line. In league play, Tyson averaged 16.4 pppg and 9.9 rpg while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 84.3 percent at the charity stripe. He finished with 16 double-doubles last season, most by a Tiger since the 1993-94 season. Tyson also was named the 2023 ACC Skip Prosser Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work on the court and in the classroom. He became just the 17th player in Clemson history to eclipse 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in a career.

Jordan Miller, F, Miami

Second Round/No. 48 overall, Los Angeles Clippers

Miller averaged 15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.2 spg during the 2022-23 season. He shot 54.5 percent from the field, 35.2 percent beyond the arc and 78.4 percent at the free-throw line. He earned second-team All-ACC honors and was an NABC Second Team All-District 2 selection. In the postseason he earned ACC All-Tournament Second Team honors and was a member of the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team while leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four berth.

Isaiah Wong, G, Miami

Second Round/No. 55 overall, Indiana Pacers

The 2023 ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC honoree, Wong averaged 16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.2 apg last season. He shot 44.5 percent from the floor, 38.4 percent on 3-pointers and 84.5 percent at the stripe. Wong was a NABC Third-Team All-American and also was an Associated Press and USBWA All-America Honorable Mention selection. He was a USBWA All-District IV and NABC First Team All-District 2 selection. In the postseason he was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team in taking Miami to the Final Four.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].