At some point Thursday night, Dennis Smith Jr. will have his name called in the first round of the NBA draft, probably the last time he’ll be associated with N.C. State. Same for Duke’s Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles. All three entered college as top NBA prospects and all three exited after one season as top NBA prospects, having left very little of a mark along the way.
Tatum and Giles at least won an ACC title – at the one point of the season where Giles overcame his chronic injuries to be an important contributor – but their year at Duke still ended in disappointment, more memorable for Mike Krzyzewski’s health issues than anything the team accomplished on the court.