A Philly kid, Duke's Amile Jefferson ready to take the next step

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CAMDEN, N.J. — Leadership, toughness, and a Philly kid.

Those were the words used by Sixers vice president of player personnel Marc Eversley to describe Duke's Amile Jefferson — one of six prospects the team brought to its training facility Monday morning for possibly the last of its group workouts prior to Thursday's draft.

Although Jefferson's name has flown well under the radar — especially compared to fellow Blue Devils Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard and Harry Giles — the 6-foot-9 forward's booming voice echoed throughout the gym during 3-on-3 scrimmages, and his presence was certainly felt by those in attendance.

DraftExpress, along with pretty much every other mock draft, has yet to put Jefferson among those selected. In fact, the Friends' Central alum isn't even on their top 100 prospects list.

But the 2015 national champion and four-time All-ACC academic team honoree certainly has the pedigree to develop further and ultimately make it as a professional.

"It's amazing ... just to be here and see that Sixers shirt and have that feeling after growing up watching Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie," Jefferson said. "Just being able to come back and have this opportunity for the team that I loved growing up was nothing short of amazing."

The Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons at the Wynnewood, Pa., private school, Jefferson made a name for himself on the Philly basketball scene. ESPN had him ranked as the No. 25 high school prospect when he graduated in 2012 and headed to Durham to join Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski's perennial powerhouse. 

And despite playing alongside a number of NBA-level guys like Rodney Hood, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor, it wasn't until his senior season that Jefferson began to fully emerge as the player many thought he could be. Yes, Jefferson was always a leader, but in the first nine games of the 2015-16 season, he averaged a double-double (11.4 points and 10.3 boards per game) until a right foot fracture forced him to redshirt the remainder of the season.

Jefferson, a guy many would describe as the consummate team player, returned to Duke for a fifth year and picked right back up where he left off. He led Duke in both rebounds and blocks and helped the Blue Devils put together four wins in four days for a title at the 2017 ACC Tournament.

His numbers have never been flashy, but neither is Jefferson.

"In the NBA, I'm a guy that can really rebound," he said. "I can play a lot of positions — especially guard a lot of different positions. I bring a grit, leadership, being vocal. I'm a worker and I'm a player. I think I can do a lot of things, both offensively and defensively."

"The league is getting smaller and being able to guard two through five, those are ways I think I can really get in and help a team."

At times, it's hard to see where Jefferson fits into the NBA game. He's definitely a tweener with his 6-9, 225-pound frame, and although his rebounding skills match up with almost any player in this year's class, his shooting touch does not fit that of a four in the modern pro game. Jefferson never attempted a three-pointer in his college career and is just a 57.5 percent shooter from the charity stripe.

On the other hand, though, he's a leader. The only three-time captain in Duke history, Jefferson seemingly garnered praise from his Blue Devil teammates every time out. And when he was forced to the bench for much of the 2015-16 season, you could always hear Jefferson's deep tenor from the Duke bench.

For all of the Blue Devils who have gone at the top of the draft in recent years, there have also been the journeymen like Seth Curry and Quinn Cook who have had to play their way through the D-League onto an NBA roster. So whether or not Jefferson's name is called Thursday in Brooklyn, don't expect him to fade away anytime soon.

"[My best asset is] just being a player, using all the tools you've learned over my career to help you and guide you through this process," Jefferson said. "It's been an amazing one and I appreciate everyone who's given me the opportunity."

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