Duke Bolsters Frontcourt With Latest Transfer Portal Pickup

Since the transfer portal opened following the conclusion of the 2023-24 college basketball season, Duke saw a mass exodus of talent from its roster.

Between the portal and Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain entering the NBA Draft, the Blue Devils have lost significant talent this spring. Despite an incredibly talented crop of freshmen coming in next season, Duke needed more experience to add depth to its roster.

Only a day after getting a commitment from Syracuse forward Maliq Brown, the Blue Devils bolstered their frontcourt depth by getting Mason Gillis from Purdue through the transfer portal.

Duke News: Blue Devils Land Purdue's Mason Gillis

Gillis played an integral role in the Purdue Boilermakers' run to the Final Four this season. The 6'6 forward played 21.2 minutes per game off the bench, shooting 46.8% from three on 3.2 attempts a game.

He will provide much-needed floor-spacing and shooting for the Blue Devils, who are losing their two best shooters in Roach and McCain.

Entering his fifth and final year of eligibility, Gillis will have a chance to start for Duke in the frontcourt next to Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach.

Duke lost rotation players Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell, and Sean Stewart to the transfer portal this offseason. Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer will have a completely different roster next season.

Brown and Gillis will be valuable rotation pieces next season, but the Blue Devils will rely on their talented recruiting class. Besides Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor, Duke isn't bringing back any other rotation players from last season.

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