Duke lands Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, cementing likely top-5 team entering season

Jon Scheyer has landed his fair share of transfers since becoming Duke’s head coach, but never one quite of this magnitude.

Former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell — the No. 3 transfer in The Athletic’s rankings — committed to Scheyer and the Blue Devils on Tuesday, he announced on social media. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning All-Big Ten third-team honors in the process.

Now, he’s the top transfer acquisition of the Scheyer era, and someone who immediately slots into the starting lineup for what should be a top-five squad entering next season.

Blackwell, a two-year starter for the Badgers, was the best scoring guard on the market this spring, and someone whose shooting will be a huge boost for the Blue Devils. Blackwell drained 38.9 percent of his 7.3 3-point attempts per game last season — including 44.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s. There was no better example of his ability than on Jan. 10, when he scored 26 points and made four 3s to help Wisconsin deal eventual national champion Michigan its first loss of the season.

As a rising senior with three seasons of NCAA Tournament experience, Blackwell’s veteran savvy aligns well with Duke’s larger roster construction philosophy.

The Blue Devils have relied — and thrived — on dynamic one-and-done freshmen during Scheyer’s tenure, but the program has wanted to get older in the wake of its Elite Eight loss to UConn. The first steps in that process were bringing back point guard Cayden Boozer and center Patrick Ngongba II, both of whom announced their returns to Durham in the last week. Even with the pieces Duke will lose to the NBA — forward Cameron Boozer and wing Isaiah Evans, in all likelihood — two returning starters gave Scheyer a strong foundation of experience to build around. (Rising sophomore wing Dame Sarr, another starter most of last season, is also expected to return.)

Cayden Boozer thrived as a postseason starter after Caleb Foster broke his foot in the regular-season finale, while Ngongba will be entering his junior season with 28 career starts under his belt.

Blackwell adds another key veteran into the mix — and one who has been at his best on the biggest stages. Blackwell had 22 points and 10 rebounds in Wisconsin’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to High Point in March, and averaged 26 points in three Big Ten tournament games before that.

Blackwell’s addition isn’t to say that Duke suddenly isn’t recruiting the elite five-star talent it has in past years. Scheyer has another top-ranked freshman class incoming, one punctuated by three top-15 talents: forward Cam Williams, guard Deron Rippey Jr. and wing Bryson Howard, the son of former NBAer Josh Howard. All three will play significant roles, and it’s possible the 6-foot-11 Williams will wind up as the program’s next freshman starter.

But with at least three returning starters, and now a senior transfer of Blackwell’s caliber, it’s clear that Scheyer and his staff had a focus on getting older, especially after watching experience win in the NCAA Tournament.

Beyond his 3-point shooting and scoring, Blackwell is a reliable free-throw shooter (86.3 percent last season) and strong ballhandler, even if he’s not a natural setup man. He’s also elite at drawing fouls for his size — five per 40 minutes, per KenPom, a top-300 rate nationally — and has shown strong defensive instincts at times, although Scheyer will need to bring those out more consistently.

Overall, he is exactly what the rankings say he is: one of the best players changing teams this offseason, and one who cements Duke as a realistic national championship threat once again.