Trevor Keels played guard for the Duke Blue Devils this past year. In a year highlighted by a Final Four appearance and Coach K’s retirement, Keels played great. As another freshman in and out the door for Duke, Keels showed his potential while declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.
Trevor Keels 2022 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Keels committed to Duke in 2021 as a five-star recruit hoping to not only help Duke win, but also to better his skills. Keels joined Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin as the two other 5-star recruits to join Duke this season. With so much talent and debatably the greatest college basketball coach of all time, Duke finished with a 32-7 record.
Keels got the opportunity to start in 26 of his 36 games at Duke playing over 30 minutes per game. He really embraced the role of being a supporting star averaging the third-most points on the team with 11.5 while also providing some playmaking. Keels also got playing time due to him committing to the defensive side of the ball.
Strengths
Keels is a scorer on every level. He can create his own shot at ease or convert on the catch-and-shoot. Keels showed he wasn’t afraid to shoot taking 4.8 threes per game. He also has a very quick first step that allows him to get past defenders into the lane. He can hit contested lay-ups without too much of an issue. His athleticism mixed with a 6’4″ height allows him to finish through contact over smaller guards.
Keels also showed he has potential in playmaking. With the ball being shared so much in Duke it’s hard to rack up assists. No one on the team finished with over five assists this past season. That being said, Keels had 2.7 assists. He can read the court on threw many lobs for easy buckets. His ability to capitalize on fast breaks was immaculate.
Keels defensive pressure is maybe his best strength. His speed allows him to stay in front of any guard. He also has fast hands that earned him 1.2 steals per game. He also only had 1.3 fouls per game allowing him to stay on the floor. He’s also a great team defender as he’s vocal and can intercept passes easily.
Weaknesses
In an era of position-less basketball, players can have different skills at any size and still play. That being said, Keels doesn’t truly fit any position. At 6’4″ he isn’t as big as most shooting guards, yet doesn’t have the playmaking to be a true point guard. His most effective role would be a sixth-man type role where he can provide defense and score off the bench.
Keels also isn’t a very efficient player. He was willing to take a lot of shots but didn’t always make a lot of shots. He shot a measly 42% from the field and 31% from three. He’s very streaky but can become cold and essentially ineffective. If his shots aren’t falling Keels isn’t doing anything offensively being an average rebounder and playmaker. The shooting also doesn’t look promising to drastically improve as he shot 67% from the free-throw line.
NBA Comparison
Keels is very similar to Lonnie Walker IV, who also is a 6’4″ guard not known for his playmaking. Both can score fairly easily but not always the most efficiently. They also both have great first steps that make it easy to attack the paint. Keels shows potential at being a better defender than Walker but could learn from him offensively. If Keels hopes to be like Walker he needs to work on his three-point and free-throw percentages.
Draft Projections
In the Sports Illustrated list of the Top 100 prospects, Keels finished at the 25th ranking. Keels has the potential to go to a contending team and earn his minutes. His defense will eventually earn him a spot on the court, but he needs to develop his offense for his minutes to increase.
