I was waiting for a guy like Coleman. 4 year guy, captain, Amile type leader the program needs. Still disappointed. Maybe Wendell can stay another year and be that guy.
Three intriguing lineup options for next season
- Thread starter BlueDevilStop
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I’m with you Chris. I was a Coleman fan and Brakefield but when they decided to leave that’s pretty much as far as I kept up with them. Really looking forward to seeing if Blake’s stays his four years at Duke .
Coleman seemed like a great guy, ever since he made that great speech before the season even began. But he chose not to wait his turn so I wish him well but won't make any effort to keep up with his progress.
I like it. It should help with his confidence going forward against good competition.
With our schedule we should be no worse than 6 and 1 going into the Gonzaga Ohio St. gauntlet. I would start Baker to start the season, then go with whoever emerges among him, AJ and Keels.
I’d be upset if we are worse than 6-1 going into Zags. I’d also be pretty shocked if AJ isn’t in the starting lineup from day 1.
Baker isn’t going to start. I’m a big Baker fan one of his biggest supporters . I do see him as first to second off the bench.
I think Duke is Looking at Roach, Moore, Griffin, Paolo and Williams starting and
Keels, Baker, John and Blake’s in this order off the bench .
I think Duke is Looking at Roach, Moore, Griffin, Paolo and Williams starting and
Keels, Baker, John and Blake’s in this order off the bench .
I have no doubt Griffin will be good eventually. But he's had a long layoff, and has looked rusty and a little lost in the two scrimmages and all star game I've seen him play. But there is time for him to get into the groove, and he obviously has talent. I can only go by what I've seen.
I think Griffin is a super athlete who may not excel in unstructured scrimmages but will be very valuable doing the little things on defense and the boards and will get his points on athletic plays while his skills come back.
These are my thoughts also. The only change I think we could see is maybe Keels starting over Roach "IF" he is just blowing up so strong that there is no choice. I think Baker is just too much of a defensive liability to start, even if he is shooting it well.
Baker is gonna bust out this year. He is too good of a shooter not to. He won't play in the NBA, but there is no reason he can't be a terrific college shooter. His shot looks great in practice he just needs to do it in games. With Baldwin not coming the opportunity is there.
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Oh wow. Start Baker. We all know that won’t happen. I don’t think Coach K is that naïve. Bakery will have to show what he can do in games consistently before he will be allowed to start
I think Baker will get some minutes due to the energy he brings to the court. But he will have to find and make some shots to stay on the court for more than "AOC minutes".
I wouldn't be surprised at all if Bates gives us more this year than Coleman would have. More experience, more skilled, and a better shooter.
I agree with the concept of losing Coleman hurts us next year and the year after.
I agree with the concept of losing Coleman hurts us next year and the year after.
If Brakefield lights it up that will be tough to watch. I liked his game and think he will have a big soph. year. It will be interesting to see how him and Coleman do.
Yeah Brakefield was a head scratcher when he left but I won’t be breaking my neck to see how he does elsewhere nor Coleman .
Does anyone knows if Theo is healthy and practicing? This is pretty important for us as we lost Coleman. Otherwise our front court depth is Bates Jones. Banchero and Williams can't play 40 minutes; we need somebody. If Bates is up to the task that would help.
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I have been impressed every time Worthington get minutes . If needed can he not provide 4-5 minutes in a backup role? He seems capable of setting screens, rebounding and playing decent defense.
I think the staff is just letting John go at his own pace and staying full strength . He will be needed this season
I was saying we didn't need Baldwin (I just didn't want to watch 4 freshman start and didn't want Moore to leave) but after watching the team for a few times we could have really used his shooting. If Keels or AJ start lighting it up from 3 (or Baker shoots in games like he does in practice) I will stop talking about this, but right now it is an area we need to shore up. We've heard the "if everyone shoots a little better we will be okay" thing for 3 or 4 years now. Maybe this is the year.
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I agree Chris. Just don’t want them to continue to shoot it from three non stop. The more this team attacks the more the three ball will be open and we’ve seen Roach, Moore and Baker make open three pointers.
Defending the 3 better than we did last year is important also. OFC
To go with this. Duke should have added length on defense to help out when defending the perimeter. Is it November yet lol.
We should be longer on defense with Keels and AJ. Banchero could be a solid defender. Williams will help, but we need to keep him out of foul trouble. It is unclear how many minutes Theo can give us, but 10 a game sounds about right.
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I think defense is how Blake’s gets minutes. Not saying a ton but if he can use his almost seven foot wing span( I think I’m saying the length right) he can give guards fits while giving a rest to the backcourt.
Definitely. Blakes for 5-6 minutes a game applying ball pressure and not turning it over would be huge. He looks steady but not spectacular so far, consistent with his ranking. I like him. Still no where near what Goldwire could have given us. Oh well.
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Yes but Duke needs more then just AJ. I do see him as a decent defender once he gets his legs back under him. He is just one position. Blake’s and Roach are key. Slowing the ball down from entry allows Dukes bigs to get into position in the post. Moore, Keels and AJ just need to be physical.
Is AJ a good defender? He has the tools, and he may develop into one, but he's young and seemed to have trouble staying in front of whover he was guarding in the scrimmages. Even Baker got by him for a layup. We do this every year with the freshman. I thought Moore and Roach and Blakes looked good on D. Banchero looked good on D as well, as did Williams. Bates looked solid. Still it's super early and small sample size. I am not picking on AJ; he had a long layoff and I imagine he will make huge improvements.
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It's practice. Don't take too much from it. Once fans get in the building the intensity will rise. He's known as a defender
Seems like outsiders are really underestimating Mark and AJ and expect little to nothing from Moore and Roach.
As the saying goes, we will see.
As the saying goes, we will see.
It’s scary how good this kid can potentially be this year. He could possibly be as dominant as Zion