Incoming Blue Devil Compared to Former Duke Basketball Great

Blue Devil freshman forward Jayson Tatum was recently drew comparisons to former all-time Duke Basketball great Grant Hill.

Bleacher Report recently released a list comparing the top college small forwards to current and former NBA players. Duke freshman Jayson Tatum made the list and was compared to former Blue Devil Grant Hill.

This year’s team has already been compared to the 1991-1992 Duke Basketball team, so comparing Tatum and Hill is fitting. Both players are versatile and athletic forwards, and when Tatum will asked what his role will be for the Blue Devils this year he told 247Sports he expects to have a role similar to “[Brandon] Ingram, Jabari Parker, Grant Hill. You know, that’s one of the reasons I chose Duke. All those guys are athletic, in shape, so strength is something I have to work on.”

Grant Hill starred at Duke winning two national titles, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year, 1994 ACC Player of the Year, and numerous All-America accolades. This comparison is to Hill’s NBA career, where he also excelled as a pro basketball player until injuries cut his career short. He earned the 1995 Co-NBA Rookie of the Year and was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was named to an All-NBA team five times. Tatum will have high expectations for the Blue Devils this season coming in as a 5-star recruit, being named one of the top small forwards in college basketball this season, and winning the Gatorade National Male Athlete of the Year award.

The Blue Devils have high expectations for the upcoming season and are the favorites to win the 2017 national title. Freshman Jayson Tatum will play a huge role for the Blue Devils this season joining a very talented roster.