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 Blackwell (25) shoots against High Point Panthers center Youssouf Singare (24) during the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
With his measurements, many scouts felt it was best for Blackwell to return to school for one more year, and prove that he can remain as consistent a scorer as he was at Wisconsin. With the Blue Devils, Blackwell figures to be one of the team’s go-to scorers on a roster that will be amongst the very best in all of college basketball next season.
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Duke Looking to Come Back Strong
Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) passes against the High Point Panthers during the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
Spearheaded by Blackwell, the Blue Devils will look to exercise some of their NCAA Tournament demons that they’ve gone through in recent years. In the 2025 tournament, Duke fell in the Final Four to Houston in heartbreaking fashion, just to come back the next year and lose in the Elite Eight to UConn thanks to Braylon Mullins’ halfcourt buzzer beater.
Now with a pivotal 2026-27 campaign coming up, the Blue Devils will look to remain one of college basketball’s most threatening teams with a loaded roster. Now that they can finally exhale a bit after securing Blackwell’s commitment, Duke is in a good position to compete for a national championship next season with a reloaded roster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke’s Blackwell To Officially Return to College, Suit Up for Duke.
