Duke landed another big fish on Monday when the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2022 class, Dereck Lively, announced his commitment to the Blue Devils. Below, Rivals.com has a closer look at what Mike Krzyzewski and Jon Scheyer are getting, and what it means for the big picture.
WHAT DUKE IS GETTING
If Rivals ranked prospects solely on ceiling, Lively may well be the top player in this class. Seven-footers that move as effortlessly as Westtown School (Penn.) star simply don’t come around often. And while he hasn’t come close to reaching his massive potential just yet and has a tendency to coast at times, Lively took another step forward playing with Philadelphia-based Team Final in the EYBL this summer. He’s long been an elite defensive player that impacts games under the basket and on the boards, but this year saw the five-star prove he can knock down open shots from distance with decent regularity as well. Lively has long been a menace from a shot-blocking and rebounding standpoint, but his offensive game is really starting to round into shape as of late. There's NBA All-Star upside at play here.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE BLUE DEVILS
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of Lively’s commitment, as beating out red-hot Kentucky for the No. 3 player in the country is absolutely massive for a proud program in transition. A victory such as this could help ease the minds of other elite recruits as the Blue Devils head into the final season of the Mike Krzyzewski Era. Obviously, head coach in waiting Jon Scheyer will need to win at a high level to maintain this sort of recruiting momentum in the future, but adding Lively should go a long way in helping him do just that. The first class Scheyer is set to coach in Durham is shaping up to be an absolute monster, as Lively joins No. 5 prospect Kyle Filipowski and No. 9 prospect Dariq Whitehead, among others, on the commitment list, giving the program three of the top 10 players in the class.
COACH’S CORNER
“What makes Dereck so special is his relentless work ethic. Every time he steps on the floor, you see something that he’s improved upon. He’s very easy to coach because of his understanding of the game. I always knew what I was getting from him. He’s going to play hard, compete, make the game easier for guys because of his shot blocking ability on the back end of your defense. Then being able to come down and make 3s and finish. He’s going to make Duke very happy. I love him.” -- James Johns, who coached Lively's Team Final EYBL team.
