With the news that Justin Robinson left Duke to become part of the player development staff for the Los Angeles Lakers, Duke has a spot on the bench to fill. Historically, the Duke Director of Player Development spot has been held down by former players including Amile Jefferson and Nolan Smith. The next Duke Basketball Director of Player Development is very likely to be a former player as well. Let’s take a look at some possible names.
Director of Player Development is an important title in the college basketball world. These players are responsible for just about everything including recruiting, assisting staff, individual workouts, and most importantly, developing talent. Duke now has a big hole to fill.
Duke Basketball Director of Player Development Candidates
Quinn Cook
Without a doubt, the first name that comes to mind is Quinn Cook. Cook had an incredibly successful Duke career that culminated in a National Championship in 2015. He went on to play in the NBA, most notably winning championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. His last NBA season was in 2020-21. Since then, he has played in Puerto Rico and China.
Cook has deep ties to the DMV which is a recruiting hot bed. He starred at Oak Hill and is close friends with Kevin Durant. That alone would make him a phenomenal higher. However, his attitude and off-court nature is naturally attracting making him a perfect fit for the director of player development role. The one downside is Duke has a lot of guards on the coaching staff already. However, Cook is worth a gamble given his youth, recent NBA success, and enigmatic character.
Luol Deng
Another potential option is Luol Deng. It is probably a longshot but Deng had one great year at Duke before moving on to a long NBA career. Deng last played in 2019 and ended his playing career after 15 NBA seasons including 2 All-Star years.
Deng now spends his time as President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation as well as a main ambassador for Basketball Africa League. This is one of the major reasons Khaman Maluach ended up wearing a Duke Blue Devil jersey last season. Deng has great overseas connections and can hang his hat on a long NBA career with a ton of success. It is unclear if he really wants to enter the coaching game but he has done great with mentoring African players and their presence is growing astronomically in the NBA as well as college basketball.
Gerald Henderson
Gerald Henderson is well now for creating a bloody Tyler Hansbrough. However, Henderson starred with the Blue Devils and went on the play in the NBA for eight years with his career ending in 2017. Since then, Henderson has been part of the Charlotte Hornets coverage and remained active in the North Carolina community.
Henderson is often seen at Duke game days. He has a great relationship with Jon Scheyer as well. While it is not clear if coaching is in his future, Duke would be a great place to start. This position has clearly led to great roles in the limelight as well.
Shelden Williams
Shelden Williams is another name to watch. He has been around the Duke program for years and the Landlord retired from the NBA in 2012 after a brief career. He was very well-known in his 4 monster seasons on campus. He was a consensus All-American and 2x ACC DPOY leading to a top 5 draft selection back when paint-limited centers were crucial.
Williams would bring some much needed size to the Duke coaching staff. While he has been out of the basketball environment for several years, he is around the team enough to know the job. This is more of a long-shot than anything but it wouldn’t be surprising to hear his name mentioned once or twice.
Javin Delaurier
Javin Delaurier is another big that could join the Duke staff. Delaurier was Justin Robinson’s teammate at Duke and they have very similar mentalities. He has been playing overseas basketball mainly since leaving Duke, including stints in Greece, Lithuania, and Israel.
Delaurier is a guy with a ton of energy that made a big impact on the court. He can do the same on the coaching staff. Also, he was a developmental big that progressed nicely throughout his college career so he knows what it takes to develop high level college players.
Conclusion
Quinn Cook is the ideal pick. This role needs to be filled by a player that can bridge the gap between the veterans of old and the young stars of new. Cook fits that to a T. His energy is infectious. His popularity is unanimous. Cook would be a high-level recruiter from the get-go who could eventually be Scheyer’s right hand man. It would be no surprise if Scheyer already had his pick set and we just have not heard yet. However, Scheyer has done something Coach K never did which is look outside the Brotherhood. This position would be a little more surprising to be filled by a non-Duke alum, however.
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