Duke announces hire of Evan Bradds as assistant coach, replacing Jai Lucas

On Thursday, Duke men’s basketball announced that it’s hired Evan Bradds as an assistant coach. Most recently, Bradds was an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz.

“I’m excited to welcome Evan and his wife, MacKenzie, to Durham,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer wrote. “Evan brings an unbelievable basketball mind, NBA player development experience, and a unique ability to build meaningful relationships with players – something that’s core to our culture.

“His experience, vision, and forward-thinking approach will help keep Duke at the forefront of college basketball. We’re excited for what’s ahead.”

Bradds joined the Utah Jazz in 2022. He specifically worked on player development for the franchise. Before the Jazz hired him, Bradds was a player enhancement coach for the Boston Celtics from 2020-22. He served as the Celtics’ video analyst from 2018-20.

He began his coaching career as an assistant for the Maine Red Claws from 2017-2018. Prior to coaching, Bradds played college basketball at Belmont, where he earned OVC Player of the Year honors in 2016. Bradds is excited for the next chapter in his basketball career.

“I am honored to be joining the Duke Basketball program and want to express my immense gratitude to Coach Scheyer for this opportunity,” Bradds wrote. “I am looking forward to working alongside Coach Scheyer and the Duke team to help continue the long-standing tradition that is Duke Basketball.”

Duke has had a relatively quiet offseason after reaching the Final Four in April. The Blue Devils have only lost one player and added one player in the transfer portal. However, the team’s addition was momentous one.

On April 28, Duke secured a commitment from Washington State transfer Cedric Coward, who was the No. 5 shooting guard in On3’s 2025 Transfer Portal Player Rankings. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game last season before suffering a season-ending injury.

Duke will need Bradds to get Coward and his fellow Blue Devils ready for the upcoming season. After all, they’ll have a tall task ahead of them, with Duke losing all five of its starters to the NBA Draft this offseason. Alas, Coward isn’t afraid of the challenge ahead.

“This is a team full of stars, and it’s a team full of guys that are killers and just want to do whatever it is that can help us win,” Coward said. “Each guy has the potential and the ability to do anything on any given night.”