This could very well be a memorable season for basketball fans everywhere, as news broke of Marvin Bagley III committing to Duke and reclassifying to become eligible for the 2017–18 college basketball season.

Bagley has been bestowed as the best high school prospect since Kentucky phenom and NBA superstar, Anthony Davis. At 6’11, 230 pounds, Bagley provides the size and fluidity needed in order to stretch the floor in a positionless, versatile scheme. Overall, Bagley is an elite athlete with an impressive skillset to especially promote the offensive side of the ball.

Bagley filed for reclassification with the NCAA near the end of July with hopes of expediting his dreams of becoming an NBA player by one year. Before announcing his commitment to the Blue Devils in a LeBron-esque fashion on ESPN, Bagley declared that he would be graduating from high school a year early, confirming that the NCAA has honored his reclassification request.

Duke will be the consensus number one pre-season team in the country with Bagley’s reclassification, with fellow blue-chip programs in the Arizona Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks trailing right behind them. Legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Duke Blue are back with a vengeance after an embarrassing loss in the the NCAA tournament last season against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Cinderella team of the tournament.

Video Courtesy of NCAA March Madness

Coach K leads Duke’s opportunity to earn a Final Four birth, with a talented roster of five-star recruits such as Wendell Carter, Trevon Duval, and now Bagley. Krzyzewski can also experiment lineups with Marques Bolden, Bagley and Carter all expected to play in the frontcourt, while also using veteran guard Grayson Allen in the backcourt. Bagley’s impact on Duke will be felt immediately, making the team a legitimate national title contender.

Bagley’s decision doesn’t just concern the college basketball world but it also sent shockwaves throughout NBA circles. By reclassifying, Bagley now has a chance of becoming the №1 pick in what is already a top-heavy 2018 NBA draft. Tank season is in full force for lottery-riddled teams. Although Bagley has the potential of becoming the top pick come draft day in 2018, Luke Doncic and Michael Porter Jr. are two other potential first picks in next year’s draft. The race for a top-3 pick is officially on.

Reclassifying with the NCAA is becoming a common trend with elite recruits. Canadian superstar R.J. Barrett also successfully reclassified into the 2018 recruiting class, now making him the №1 overall recruit in the nation with Bagley’s starting college ball a year early. Barrett started rolling eyeballs with NBA scouts when he helped Canada defeat Team USA in the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup with a stat line of 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Future five-star recruits will follow Bagley’s footsteps and continue to find ways to accelerate their NBA dreams.

What we know for sure is that the future of college and NBA basketball has loads of top-tier talent on the horizon in the coming years. From the recruiting circuit to draft season, every move that is made will influence the future of basketball for each of these players and their development. It’s an exciting time to be a basketball fan, and we are all looking forward to witnessing what will happen next for Bagley and the potential NBA superstars that follow.