Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor, Sion James discuss ACC Tournament championship
Following Duke basketball’s win against Louisville in the championship game of the 2025 ACC Tournament, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James discussed it.
James discussed his versatility as a player, his shooting improvement, and his desire to be a two-way player in the NBA.He is projected to be a second-round pick and worked out alongside Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard and Appalachian State forward CJ Huntley.James provided different things at different times for a stacked Duke squad
Former Duke basketball player Sion James found himself in an awkward situation on June 3.
Following a workout for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, James sat down in his sweaty practice jersey for a Zoom interview with media members.
One of five Duke basketball players preparing for the 2025 NBA Draft, which is June 25-26 in Brooklyn, James answered questions for two minutes from a reporter at the practice facility.
But when attention turned to the 10 media members waiting on the Zoom call, audio issues arose and a 5-minute stretch of awkward silence followed as staffers tried to fix the problem. James sat there patiently, waiting for an opportunity to resume the press conference before offering his help.
After an adjustment, the problem was fixed, the interview was back on track for the final 5-plus minutes and James never showed any signs of irritation. He handled it like a pro.
“I started my college career on Zoom, man,” James said with a smile.
A 6-foot-5, 218-pound guard, James became accustomed to adjusting on the fly with a pro-like approach as a player who provided whatever was needed for a Duke team that featured Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach – a trio of projected top-10 picks.
James averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 25.6 minutes per game. He was an All-ACC defender and had a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked third in the ACC. Duke coach Jon Scheyer consistently referred to James as the “ultimate connector” for the Blue Devils, who won 30 of 32 games once James was put in the starting lineup.
So which game would James want NBA personnel to watch?
“I’m not sure if there’s a specific game I could point to. I feel like there were different games where I showed different things. But more than anything, I feel like I was myself in every game,” James said.
“I can tell you some of my favorite games; I’ve got a lot of favorite games. The (NCAA) tournament was great. Those Newark games (against Arizona and Alabama) were awesome for me and for the guys. Beating Carolina always feels good as a Duke guy – you can watch any of those ones. More than anything, I feel like I was being myself throughout the year. Pick a different stretch from any game, you’ll see something different.”
That’s a fair assessment for a 22-year-old player who possessed the physicality and feel for the game to know what Duke needed en route to sweeping the ACC titles and advancing to the Final Four. It was a trait that made him a fan and locker room favorite.
“Duke was my dream school coming out of high school. I’m blessed and lucky that I got a chance to play there. My teammates are awesome. It’s really cool how important it is to have the right people around you and how that can shape your experience,” James said.
“Of course, we were really good and made it to the Final Four. That was a cool experience. … More than anything, it was just awesome the guys I got to do it with. The Final Four was awesome until the last four minutes of game play.”
James’ improved shooting and his pro build are among the areas highlighted by NBA scouts. He made 51.6% of his shots, including 41.8% from beyond the 3-point line, and was 81% from the free-throw line.
“I’ve been working on my shooting since I came into school,” James said. “It was something that was a weakness of mine early on and I’ve worked really hard to make it a strength. It’s really just come from dedication, from shooting every day and working every day.”
He wants to follow the path of players like Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith and Boston’s Jrue Holiday, both of whom are known as aggressive defenders.
“You’ve got multiple guys who are all into the ball handlers every single possession, making their life hard. It takes will to do that, but it also takes a physical profile,” James said. “I’m lucky that I’ve been blessed with that and I’ve also been able to develop it over time. It’s really just trying to be that kind of player, someone who makes life hard for opposing players.”
Projected to be a second-round pick, James could be an option for the Warriors at No. 41 overall. He was joined by Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard,l and Appalachian State forward CJ Huntley during the Golden State workout.
“It’s just really cool for teams to be able to see me in their facilities against guys that they hand pick,” James said. “I’m really just working on being myself, being competitive, finishing in the paint, making shots and making the players around me better.”
As he continues through the process of traveling and working out for different NBA teams, James said the best piece of advice he’s received is to “soak it all up” every step of the way.
“These are stories that we’ll be telling forever,” he said. “If everything works out according to plan, I’ll have a nice, long NBA career and this is the beginning of it. These are lifelong memories and I really want to make the most out of this.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.