Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Okafor is part of another highly touted freshmen class for Duke.
(Gerry Broome | The Associated Press)
Charlotte, N.C. — Duke's reliance on a star freshman is nothing new, though it has enjoyed varied success with instant-impact newcomers in recent years.
There was Kyrie Irving in 2011, Austin Rivers the following year and Jabari Parker last season. But rather than one crucial freshman, this Blue Devil bunch could rely on as many as four.
Duke is fortunate, then, the collective trait that seems most easily attached to Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow is maturity.
"Extremely," senior guard Quinn Cook said Wednesday at the ACC's basketball media day, before repeating himself twice more. "I'm not just saying that. They are."
On some levels, it's necessary. Coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn't around Durham for much of the summer because of his national team duties. Jones and Okafor, in particular, are projected to step in and play large roles for a team that lost its top two scorers (Parker and Rodney Hood) and three of its top five.
"This group is ahead of the curve in all ways," junior forward Amile Jefferson said. "When they came in this summer, they were already prepared. You don't have to teach them too much. If you're telling them something, they're getting it. They might not do it right, but they understand what you're saying and you can see their progression even from the summer to now."
Cook said the group has made it much easier on Duke's remaining upperclassmen, of which there aren't many. Cook is the Blue Devils' lone senior. Jefferson is one of three juniors, along with Marshall Plumlee and Rasheed Sulaimon.
They haven't won a game yet, of course. Being at Duke, they'll be judged (fairly or not) on postseason success (something this year's holdovers know all too well after a round of 64 exit against Mercer last season).
But between talent and attitude, things are already promising for the Blue Devils to avoid a similar fate this March.
"They want to learn," Jefferson said. "When you tell them something, it's not 'Oh, no, I've been doing this all through high school an all through my entire life. They're saying 'I didn't see it that way, let me try it.' That's the best thing about this group. They're really talented and they're really willing to learn, which makes them really good players."
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