As the Blue Devils’ season comes to an end, the Blue Zone takes a final look at every player’s performance this year. We’ve already analyzed Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans and Khaman Maluach. Next up is junior guard Tyrese Proctor:
Tyrese Proctor
Year: Junior
Height: 6-foot-6
Position: Guard
This year’s stat line: 29.9 MPG, 12.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.3 APG
No one can sum up Tyrese Proctor’s season better than Jon Scheyer did after the team’s Round of 32 win against Baylor. The third-year play caller choked up as he reflected on the journey taken with his junior guard; it included a promising freshman campaign that had him touted as a potential lottery pick, a sophomore slump that ended with a zero-point performance against N.C. State in the Elite Eight and now a resurgent junior season that saw the Aussie’s talents reach new heights.
“I think the difference is for a guy in that position to take it, as opposed to making excuses or running away from it, I think that's the special part,” Scheyer said then about Proctor’s decision to come back to Duke for his junior season. “... Man, I'm obviously really proud of him.”
Proctor was the recipient of the lion’s share of criticism ahead of the 2024-25 season. Skeptics saw a player that faltered in big moments and let the mental side of the game take him away from his play on the court. But, optimists saw a 6-foot-6 guard with strong defensive skills that still had untapped potential. In the end, Proctor’s glass was far more than half-full.
Setting new career bests with 12.4 points per game, 31 steals and a 40.5% rate from 3-point range, Proctor was a steady presence in a talented backcourt. While it took him a few weeks to get fully acclimated to a more off-ball role, Proctor stepped up big in nonconference games against Kansas and Auburn. He shot 5-for-7 against the Jayhawks and had some clutch buckets against the Tigers that helped clinch the victory.
He continued to hoop in ACC play, posting double-digit scoring outings in his first five conference games, but hit a slump with just three combined points against Notre Dame and Miami. The Sydney native bounced back with 20 points against Boston College, then nailed a crucial triple on the road against Wake Forest.
In another hostile environment, Proctor put the Blue Devils on his back for much of the game against Clemson. His 15 shots against the Tigers tied a season high, and he made 4-of-8 triples to go along with a pair of steals.
“He was just a leader,” Scheyer said of Proctor after the Clemson game. “I thought he was shooting, every part about him. I thought he was just terrific today.”
Eager to put the events against the Wolfpack behind him, Proctor stormed out of the gates in March Madness. Over the first two rounds, No. 5 went 13-for-16 from behind the arc in just 55 minutes. Proctor’s 25 points against the Bears were a career high — and against his former backcourt mate Jeremy Roach.
The biggest critique of Proctor’s third year in Duke blue was a regression at the free-throw line; he went from shooting 87.1% as a rookie to 68.0% this season. And while his missed shot at the charity stripe in the Blue Devils’ Final Four loss to Houston will haunt Duke fans for years to come, Proctor’s season cannot be looked back on in any light but a positive one.
Scheyer will certainly count himself lucky if NBA teams pass on him and Proctor chooses to run it back one more time.
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Read more about Proctor’s season:
- vs. Kansas: 15 points
- vs. Auburn: 12 points
- ‘A special performance’: In Duke men’s basketball win against Auburn, each Blue Devil played to their strengths
- at Boston College: 20 points
- vs. North Carolina: 17 points
- at Clemson: 23 points
- 'Every part about him was terrific': Despite loss to Clemson, Proctor's playmaking prowess evident for Duke
- at North Carolina: 16 points
- vs. Louisville: 19 points
- vs. Mount St. Mary’s: 19 points
- The work I put in': Proctor's confidence and flourishing leadership evident in Duke's NCAA Tournament win
- vs. Baylor: 25 points
- ‘Really proud of him’: Proctor, Scheyer showcase twin growth in Duke’s second-round NCAA Tournament victory
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.