The Duke Blue Devils Roster Is In Shambles After Numerous Key Departures

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Remember that Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team that got to the Elite Eight less than three weeks ago? They’re going to look a lot different next year.

Center Kyle Filipowski and guard Jared McCain each declared for the NBA, which wasn’t a huge surprise. These guys have the ability to succeed at the next level, and they are seizing the opportunity to go pro.

But Duke is dealing with a lot of other roster departures beyond their NBA hopefuls. 

Jeremy Roach will be one of the many familiar faces leaving Duke. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

First, veteran guard Jeremy Roach declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. If he doesn’t get a contract, he will use his eligibility at a different school. He was one of the last players on this year’s roster that was around for former head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season at Duke.

Then power forward Mark Mitchell declared his intentions to leave Duke, which really hurts the Blue Devils defensively. Reserves Jaylen Blakes, Christian Reeves, and Jaden Schutt also announced their intentions to find new teams.

But the biggest surprise came when freshman T.J. Power declared his intentions to move on. 

On Thursday, the former 5-star recruit announced that he will be playing for another team next season. He played in 26 games this past season, averaging just under seven minutes a game.

Head Coach Jon Scheyer (left) will have a lot of rebuilding to do after T. J. Power (right) and numerous other players left his program.  (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

"Duke will always have a place in my heart but it's time to do what is best for me and with that being said I will be entering my name into the transfer portal," Power wrote.

It’s a good thing head coach Jon Scheyer put together the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, which gives him the ability to reload quickly. But at the same time, Duke is losing nearly all of its veteran presence and experience, which could mean the Blue Devils will experience a lot of growing pains with the newcomers.

One thing's for certain. Duke basketball is heading into a new era of young talent.

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John Simmons graduated from Liberty University hoping to become a sports journalist. He’s lived his dream while working for the Media Research Center and can’t wait to do more in this field with Outkick. He could bore you to death with his knowledge of professional ultimate frisbee, and his one life goal is to find Middle Earth and start a homestead in the Shire. He’s still working on how to make that happen.