Blue Devil Bonanza: Duke Lands Top Transfer Mason Gillis, Securing Instant Impact Player
Mason Gillis, a former Purdue forward, declared his commitment to Duke on social media on Monday.
With one season left to go, Gillis, the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, is still eligible.
In an attempt to restructure his team around the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, head coach Jon Scheyer has added 230-pound, 6-foot-6 guard Gillis as his second transfer portal addition of the offseason. On Saturday, the Blue Devils acquired forward Maliq Brown from Syracuse. Seven players from Duke’s Elite Eight team entered the transfer portal, so Scheyer still needs to fill three scholarships even with Brown and Gillis in the fold.
The top high school player in America and one of the best NBA prospects in the past ten years, Cooper Flagg, is an ideal complement to Gillis, who, according to KenPom, hit 46.8 percent from three last season, ranking fourth among all high-major players. Flagg is a capable shooter, but his finest offensive play comes when he drives the ball inside and finishes, giving shooters space to work around him. After spending the previous two seasons playing alongside two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey, Gillis does that and is accustomed to being a kick-out man. Gillis can cover opposition forwards with strength, which should free Flagg up to play more of a roving role, which is his area of strength.
#Duke fans will be excited to see Mason Gillis’ heat maps (courtesy of @CBBAnalytics)…
Gillis hit from nearly everywhere behind the arc last season, attempting three times as many 3s (124) as he did 2s (41). ranked fourth among high-major players in terms of 3PT%, according to KenPom. pic.twitter.com/sRWDwNk5wZ
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 22, 2024
The fact that Gillis, who has started 63 and played in 132 college games, turns 24 in November also helps. He will add wise experience and veteran insight to a Duke team that will include six new rookies.
With Flagg and 7-foot-1 center Khaman Maluach, who is rated in the top 10 by most recruiting services, Duke is assembling a defense that is anticipated to be among the best in college basketball come season. This season, the Blue Devils have greatly needed rim protection, but Maluach will step in and give it. Flagg is one of the best shot-blocking high school players to emerge in a while. In that regard, Gillis is also well-suited; opponents scored 5.6 fewer points per 100 possessions on average when he was in the game, according to CBB Analytics. (Brown also makes sense; he was an All-ACC defender with 2.2 thefts and 0.9 blocks per game the previous season.)
Despite playing just 21.1 minutes per game for the Boilermakers in the previous season, Gillis was crucial to the team’s journey to the national championship game. In 23 of his 39 games, he made multiple 3-pointers. He attempted three times as many 3-pointers (124) as he did 2-pointers (41). That floor spacing was important around Edey, and fans loved Gillis because he was dependable.
He will also be adored if he can play the same role for Duke this season.
(Photo: Brett Wilhelm / Getty Images)