Mark Mitchell To Return To Duke For His Sophomore Season

Mar 30, 2023 - 3:27 PM

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Good news continues for Duke Basketball as Mark Mitchell has made his announcement: he’ll be back.

That’s huge for Duke.

At 6-8, Mitchell is a versatile defender. He’s also a solid rebounder and a dangerous offensive presence from the three point line on in. He hit 35.2 percent from three point range and 46.9 overall.He also put up 9.1 ppg and got 4.5 boards.

But he’s the classic case where you should probably ignore the stats. He has a tremendous impact on the game. It’s not uncommon to see him rebound the ball, bring it downcourt and either get a shot or rebound a missed shot.

And he’s pretty much what Jon Scheyer is looking for: a smart, versatile player who can defend and shoot well. The only major criticism we have is we wish he was more consistently assertive offensively. But that’ll improve.

When you add him to Sean Stewart and Mackenzie Mgbako, that gives Duke a solid trio of 6-8-ish guys. Pair that with the deep backcourt that Scheyer will have and you’re a solid big man away from being scary good.