The offseason transformation of Wendell Moore’s body boosted his play for Duke last season, which has now landed him in the NBA.
Moore, a second-team, all-ACC selection on the Blue Devils’ league regular-season championship team, was selected 26th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in Thursday night’s NBA draft.
A 6-6 forward, Moore averaged 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and led the Blue Devils with 4.4 assists as they reached the Final Four for the first time since 2015. He made 50% of his shots, including 41.3% of his 3-pointers and a team-best 80.5% free throw accuracy.
That production marked a dramatic improvement from his sophomore season, when Moore averaged 9.7 points per game and hit 41.7% of his shots from the field.
Moore went through a strenuous conditioning program between his sophomore and junior seasons, aimed at improving his athleticism and making him an more explosive player.
“We thought watching his game that he had to become more athletic,” Duke associate head coach Chris Carrawell said. “We thought he had to become more explosive, quicker. And he just got older. When you get older, you become more confident.”
Moore, who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., and played at Concord’s Cox Mill High School, only expects to keep improving from here.
“I really think my confidence can only get better,” Moore said. “It’s definitely something I work on every day. Every day I get in the gym, I get more confident in my own game. I think the sky’s the limit for myself and I intend to reach it.”
