UNC Basketball: Pair of former Blue Devils left out in the cold on draft night

A pair of former UNC basketball recruiting targets didn’t hear their names called in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Neither Matthew Hurt nor DJ Steward — a pair of former Duke Blue Devils that were once recruited by Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels — were selected in Thursday night’s NBA Draft. And the one former Duke player that did hear his named called in the draft, Jalen Johnson, slid all the way to 20th after being seen as a likely lottery pick less than a year ago.

That, of course, was before Johnson struggled to find his way in Durham, and eventually found his way off the team mid-way through the season. Right, wrong or indifferent, Johnson’s unexpected departure from the Blue Devils obviously hurt his draft stock. Not only did it give scouts and general managers less game film to go off of, but it also made many of them question his character. Still, Johnson was clearly the most talented player among them this past season, and the one with the highest ceiling.

Hurt had a terrific sophomore season under Mike Krzyzewski (18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds per game, 44.4 percent from three-point range), but it didn’t really improve his draft stock all that much. Hurt is a skilled shooter with range well beyond the three-point line, but he doesn’t have a lot of versatility, and he’s not much of a defender.

Still, he decided to leave following the 2020-21 season to try his hand at the NBA Draft. That lack of versatility and defensive prowess, combined with an obvious absence of athletic ability, really hindered him at the NBA Draft Combine. And that’s what led to Hurt going undrafted on Thursday night, and now hoping to land on a summer league team or a G-League squad for a shot at making it to highest level.

Steward is a player that many thought should return to college for another season of grooming in preparation for the 2022 NBA Draft. Alas, he choose to end his collegiate career after just one season with the Blue Devils, and that likely hurt his shot at being drafted. He struggled with inconsistency throughout the 2020-21 season, and his pre-draft workouts this summer were quite unimpressive.

Steward will have a chance to prove himself, though, as he quickly signed a training camp deal with the Sacramento Kings following the conclusion of the draft. Steward became just the second Duke one-and-done to go undrafted, joining former Blue Devil point guard and 5-star high school recruit Trevon Duval.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the UNC basketball program, and their crosstown rivals in Durham.