Duke’s Wendell Moore was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, but his first two years of college didn’t go according to his plan.
Moore, as I wrote earlier this season, made massive year-over-year improvements in nearly every statistical category. In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.3 percent on his 3-pointers — a boost from 21.1 percent as a freshman.
He also improved his field goal percentage at the rim from 50.5 percent as a freshman to 64.4 percent as a junior. He increased his assist rate from 12.6 percent to 21.7 percent while lowering his turnover rate from 27.6 percent to 16.6 percent, as well.
He earned ACC All-Defense honors and also took home the Julius Erving Award for the nation’s top small forward. Now, he is set to turn pro and hear his name called in the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23.
Still only 20 years old, Moore is a 6-foot-4.25 without shoes but recently measured with a 7-foot, half-inch wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine. He also recorded a max vertical leap (38.5 inches) that put him in the 87th percentile among all prospects who have ever participated in the NBA Draft Combine exercises, per Stadium Speak.
For The Win recently caught up with Moore to discuss what he will bring to the pros, how he improved his confidence, what he thinks about his teammate Paolo Banchero and plenty more.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
