Prospect Overview
Strong guard who hit the ground running as a secondary ball handler for the Blue Devils and showed his talent in spurts throughout their run to the Final Four.
About Trevor Keels
Trevor Keels is a strong-framed guard who was an X-factor for the Blue Devils during their Final Four run showing good instincts while being aggressive on the offensive end. Emerging as a prospect early in his prep career, the Maryland native finished his senior year at Paul VI Catholic High School (VA) ranked among the consensus top-25 prospects in the high school class of 2021 while earning McDonald’s All-American honors. Heading to play for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Keels quickly carved out a role in a talented Blue Devils lineup scoring 25 points in his debut against Kentucky.
Finishing his freshman year averaging 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 30.2 minutes per game, the 18-year-old earned a spot on the ACC All-Rookie Team while helping Duke to the Final Four.
• Measured at the 2022 NBA Combine standing 6-foot-4.75 in shoes with a sturdy 224-pound frame that was a ways heavier when he first appeared on the radar in high school to go along with a 6-foot-7.25 wingspan, Keels has solid size for a shooting guard. He is not the most explosive athlete, but is a physical guard who uses his frame to his advantage on both ends.
• Finishing as the Blue Devils’ third-leading scorer, Keels played more off the ball than on it. He provided spacing and ran the wings in transition, but also saw consistent reps in the pick and roll and did a little bit of everything else running off screens and taking hand offs executing in the half court. He was decisive looking to create his own shot but also did a nice job finding the open man on the move. Having some ups and downs scoring the ball, the 18-year old still has room to grow as a jump shooter to open up his floor game, but showed a well-rounded skill set and delivered two of his best games of the season in two of Duke’s biggest games.
• Competing with toughness on the defensive end, Keels held his own despite frequently matching up with smaller guards. While he could not always stay in front of dynamic ball handlers, he often compensated with multiple efforts which translated off the ball as well where he showed a sense of urgency closing out shooters and regularly came up with deflections.
Advanced Stats
• A well-rounded guard who can provide spacing, keep the defense in rotation, attack closeouts, make sound reads out of ball screens, and score opportunistically around the rim, Keels got more shots some nights than others within Duke’s high-powered offense. His productivity wavered as a result, but he did a nice job not forcing the issue and finding other ways to contribute on the nights he wasn’t scoring the ball.
• Getting two-thirds of his shots in the half court from the perimeter, Keels averaged 0.83 points per jump shot in the half court [37th percentile] as he flashed touch both off the catch and off the dribble as well as promising mechanics but has clear room to improve his consistency as a shooter.
• When Keels scored in bunches last season, it was often when he could get downhill consistently. Showing quite a bit of poise using his physicality to get to spots when handling the ball, Keels did some of his best work attacking the rim out of ball screens and driving closeouts. While he is more opportunistic than especially dynamic off the bounce or explosive around the basket, he embraced contact and scored 1.25 points per shot around the rim [69th percentile] last season.
• Showing a feel for making the simple play handling the ball in the pick and roll and some creativity as a passer when driving the ball, Keels did a nice job making plays for others.
Defensive Analysis
• Possessing a good combination of length and strength, Keels showed a willingness to put a body on opposing wings and make multiple efforts trying to contain smaller guards.
• Showing some hustle on the glass, in the passing lanes, and when closing out shooters, he played hard and made an effort to do the little things as a true freshman.
Profile by Synergy Sports
