The Milwaukee Bucks will benefit from their Duke University connection next season

Milwaukee Bucks Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks roster features three former Duke Blue Devils who will make an impact next season.

Grayson Allen, Javin DeLaurier, and Rodney Hood have something in common; this upcoming season will be their first go-around with the Milwaukee Bucks. While DeLaurier is a rookie who went undrafted back in 2020, Allen and Hood are proven veterans who will be expected to step in and contribute right away. The team has a very solid core in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton; they’re looking for guys who can be a part of the foundation that’s already been laid.

Although the franchise is coming off of their first championship in fifty years, they are far from complacent. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton spent the summer with Team USA basketball, winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the process. Experiences like that tend to push players towards optimum performance. This is the environment that Allen, DeLaurier and Hood find themselves being inserted into. The mentality is win now, not later.

The Milwaukee Bucks will have three former Duke Blue Devils on their roster next season. The connection to the college basketball program will pay dividends.

Duke University has one of the most storied programs in the history of college basketball. This past off-season, legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that this upcoming season would be his final season at the helm. Over the years, he has impacted the lives of multitudes of young men, many of whom went on to become stars in the NBA.

In honor of “Coach K,” let’s take a closer look at how the Bucks’ trio of “Dukies” can contribute as the team attempts to win its second consecutive NBA championship.