[JNixonParticipant]

 #3- Duke Blue Devils

Frontline- The main loss of the group is Kyle Singler. Singler had one of the better careers in Duke history, and was a good role player for Duke all 4 years. He had a disappointing Sr. season (struggled shooting the ball), but he was still taken by the Pistons in the early 2^nd round. The C spot will likely go to 6’10 240 Sr. Miles Plumlee, although Ryan Kelly could certainly put up a fight. Miles is stronger and more of a low-post guy than his brother. He’s got solid size for a PF/C at 6’10 240. What he doesn’t have is a standout trait. Miles is a mediocre rebounder, not a very good defender, and he plays with a limited feel for the game. He’s a decent run-jump athlete, but he’s a bit stiff laterally and he doesn’t look natural on the court that often. Plumlee has an unrefined post game, and his face-up game doesn’t stand out either. He’s not a factor creating his own shots. His physical and unselfish style made him a starter last year, but he’s not winning many matchups over the course of games. The PF spot should be Mason Plumlee’s to lose, unless Ryan Kelly is moved in the lineup. In that situation, Plumlee would be the C. Mason is the most naturally talented between Kelly, and his big brother. He has the raw ability to make 15 foot shots, his athleticism is very good, and he sporadically can face-up and could be interesting in the triple-threat as he is a good passer, has a little handle and a nice 1st step for a guy his size. He has to work on the basics 1^st though. Plumlee showed he can be effective in the pick and roll game and he’s a big threat for alley-oops.  Still, he’s not very strong or tough, and his low post game needs refinement, as it is a bit behind his high-post game (raw back to basket footwork and strength factor in). Mason is also a shaky defender due to a limited feel for the game and awareness, although he has the athleticism to block shots the rim well at times. Mason really is still developing and getting more polished, as he has progressed steadily in his 2 years. He only shows glimpses at a time, but he just has to work hard to emerge like some people have been expecting. His production will probably raise to around 9 ppg and 8 or 9 rpg. Mason has been an NBA prospect for a while, but it’s mostly because of his physical and athletic tools. Those tools are undeniable, but he needs to refine his game to be able to really compete in the NBA effectively. The 6’10 235 Kelly was too weak to be effective as a Fr., but he bounced back as a Soph. and had some moments. He’s improved his strength (he’s still only mediocre though) and was able to be more effective with the time he got last year. He’s got a sweet touch with legit 3-point range, a nice IQ for the game, and he knows how to use his length to get shots off and block shots fundamentally. Kelly passes the ball well. He’s not quite athletic, and he can still struggle with physical play, often floating and not liking the battle down low. He should improve more as a Jr., possibly taking a starting spot in the process. People close to Duke have raved about him this summer, and think he could really breakout. Also in the fold are 3 Fr. in SF’s Michael Gbinije, Marshall Plumlee and Alex Murphy, and Soph.Josh Hairston. The 6’6 195 Gbinije is a good athlete with length on the wing, and he shows a nice mid-range game and is a great transition player. He has promise on defense too. He will need to work on his ball-handling more, and he should look to be more aggressive. He should be able to play some minutes as a Fr. The 6’11 Marshall is the youngest of the Plumlee’s. He won’t play alot, could be a candidate for the shirt. Plumlee needs strength, but he has the frame of a legit C. He’s competitive, but really needs polish and strength. The 6’8 220 Murphy has been talked about highly by some close to the team. He will have to fight with Gbinije for time. Murphy is a combo forward with fluid athleticism and a decent shot. He is a perimeter oriented tweener. The 6’8 225 Hairston struggled bad as a Fr. He simply doesn’t have a stand out skill at all really. He’s not an athlete or a physical presence. A lot of size in the frontcourt, and some good athleticism and bodies.

Backcourt- The Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving losses matter. Irving was the best PG in the country in the 11 games he played in. Smith was an All-American who developed beautifully throughout his career, he developed the way all college coaches want their players to. Both were 1^st round picks (Irving went 1^st  overall to Cleveland as the future franchise player, and Smith went 21^st to Portland). The PG spot seems to be given to rJr. Seth Curry, although he won’t be a traditional floor general. He probably will bring the ball up, pass and run to free himself for open shots a good bit of the time. At 6’1 180 Curry, the brother of the GS Warriors’ Stephen Curry, is a very good shooter like his brother (probably not quite as good though) and is able to spot up or come off screens. He’s fairly small and not very quick, but the off-ball movement Duke uses should free him up for shots once again next year. He’s pretty smart and a good decision-maker with the ball. Curry struggled with his defense and getting to the rim last year. He also was poor finishing around the rim last year when he actually made it there. I think he’ll be better adjusted next year, so expect around 12 ppg and 3 apg next year from him. The SG spot and the Duke player who likely will have the ball the most will go to the very highly touted Fr. Austin Rivers. The 6’5 200 Rivers is a big-time talent and scorer who can score it at all 3 levels of the floor. Rivers has gotten a good bit more athletic as he’s developed in HS, and he’s grown and matured physically. Rivers has a good handle and he operates very well with the ball, and has he the range and ability to pull-up, which make him a real tough cover. He will be able to come in as a Fr. and be a top scorer and a matchup nightmare immediately. Rivers is a very competitive player too, and he’ll add an attitude and swag to the team that is missing with Irving and Smith gone. Rivers is a little stuck between the guard positions (he needs the ball like a PG, but plays like a SG) though. He’s also not going to be confused for a lockdown defender. He’s also a bit ball-dominant and he is prone to pounding the air out of the ball. He has all the tools to be an effective off-ball scorer, but he will have to learn how to apply that to game situations eventually. I don’t think it will b a problem at Duke, but he sometimes acts like a brat on the court, showing poor attitude and body language when things don’t go his way. He clearly has the talent of a lottery pick, and he should be just that whether he declares in 2012 or 2013. The other wing spot will likely be manned by Dawkins, a 6’4 200 Jr. is a very good shooter who can fill it up from deep in spurts. He doesn’t miss many when he has his feet set, and he’s probably one of the elite shooters in the country. Dawkins is effective off screens or off 1 or 2 dribbles pulling up too. He’s also got decent size and strength, so he can defend SF’s. Dawkins doesn’t create his own shots much and is noteworthy athlete, defender, or passer. His handle needs improvement. He contributes little when he’s not shooting. Depth comes from Fr. Quinn Cook and Soph. Tyler Thornton. The 6’ 180 Cook is an pretty quick and aggressive player with a slashing mentality. He definitely plays with a swagger and confidence about himself. He finds the way to the rim and is good at kick out passes when the D collapses on him. He’s only OK as a shooter and defender though, and he’s been hampered by a nagging knee injury since this past winter. Cook also isn’t a pure PG, though he is adequate enough to play the position. Cook might not play much next year, but I think he’s going to have a nice career at Duke. He’s not dissimilar to Nolan Smith in all honesty, especially when Smith was younger. Tyler Thornton played backend rotation minutes as a Fr., and he’ll do the same next year. He defends very well from the PG spot and is a cerebral player who has a conservative approach to the game. He isn’t more than OK at any aspect of basketball though, especially on offense. He’s so conservative and mediocre that he doesn’t put pressure on the D when he’s in games.

Overview- I think Duke will be an Elite 8 team next year, Coach K is an elite coach to say the least at this level, and with the free-flowing offense that they run will make them hard to stop offensively with the shooters and stretch guys they have. They lose experience, but they have a bunch of size, depth and talent.

[Anton123Participant]

Great post

 Have three brothers ever been on one team before?

[Anton123Participant]

Great post

 Have three brothers ever been on one team before?

[Anton123Participant]

Great post

 Have three brothers ever been on one team before?

[akhan786Participant]

I really like your projections of the team and the players. You opinion was completely objective in that you gave the positives and didn’t totally bash any of the players.

Though I do think Duke can be a top team by the end of the season, I think #3 is a bit too high for a preseason ranking. Given the fact that teams like Ohio State and maybe even Syracuse have a bit more proven and experienced team, I would have to give them the edge over Duke.

I think the top 3 will fluctuate between Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State as the season goes on. And I think best case scenario Duke will be the fourth best team in the nation. We just have WAY too many question marks, and to those who think Rivers will be a 20 ppg scorer are a bit misguided. I think 15 ppg is a reasonable number and I see him having as many ups and downs as Barnes did last year.

Added that to the fact we have no real point guard (Duke won in 2010 without a true point guard, but Jon Scheyer was 6’5 and had one of the best A/TO ratios in Duke history), and also that Mason still leaves a lot to be desired, I think Duke will be in a sort of a rebuilding year.

This team will be fun to watch, but I think they’ll drop a few early on against teams like Memphis, Kansas, Ohio St. etc.

[akhan786Participant]

I really like your projections of the team and the players. You opinion was completely objective in that you gave the positives and didn’t totally bash any of the players.

Though I do think Duke can be a top team by the end of the season, I think #3 is a bit too high for a preseason ranking. Given the fact that teams like Ohio State and maybe even Syracuse have a bit more proven and experienced team, I would have to give them the edge over Duke.

I think the top 3 will fluctuate between Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State as the season goes on. And I think best case scenario Duke will be the fourth best team in the nation. We just have WAY too many question marks, and to those who think Rivers will be a 20 ppg scorer are a bit misguided. I think 15 ppg is a reasonable number and I see him having as many ups and downs as Barnes did last year.

Added that to the fact we have no real point guard (Duke won in 2010 without a true point guard, but Jon Scheyer was 6’5 and had one of the best A/TO ratios in Duke history), and also that Mason still leaves a lot to be desired, I think Duke will be in a sort of a rebuilding year.

This team will be fun to watch, but I think they’ll drop a few early on against teams like Memphis, Kansas, Ohio St. etc.

[akhan786Participant]

I really like your projections of the team and the players. You opinion was completely objective in that you gave the positives and didn’t totally bash any of the players.

Though I do think Duke can be a top team by the end of the season, I think #3 is a bit too high for a preseason ranking. Given the fact that teams like Ohio State and maybe even Syracuse have a bit more proven and experienced team, I would have to give them the edge over Duke.

I think the top 3 will fluctuate between Kentucky, UNC, and Ohio State as the season goes on. And I think best case scenario Duke will be the fourth best team in the nation. We just have WAY too many question marks, and to those who think Rivers will be a 20 ppg scorer are a bit misguided. I think 15 ppg is a reasonable number and I see him having as many ups and downs as Barnes did last year.

Added that to the fact we have no real point guard (Duke won in 2010 without a true point guard, but Jon Scheyer was 6’5 and had one of the best A/TO ratios in Duke history), and also that Mason still leaves a lot to be desired, I think Duke will be in a sort of a rebuilding year.

This team will be fun to watch, but I think they’ll drop a few early on against teams like Memphis, Kansas, Ohio St. etc.

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

I think this is too high for them. I had my buckeyes before them but you always know Duke will be tough to beat with their talent and coaching.

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

I think this is too high for them. I had my buckeyes before them but you always know Duke will be tough to beat with their talent and coaching.

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

I think this is too high for them. I had my buckeyes before them but you always know Duke will be tough to beat with their talent and coaching.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

 Did anyone else watch them against China this morning? Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly looked much improved. I think Kelly is due for a breakout year. He ran the floor hard, showed off some nice post moves and was nailing all his jumpshots.

Rivers showed flashes of brilliance, slashing to the lane and actually showing some nice court vision. But his shot was off and he turned the ball over a ton. Curry looked pretty good, although he doesn’t look entirely comfortable running an offense yet. 

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

 Did anyone else watch them against China this morning? Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly looked much improved. I think Kelly is due for a breakout year. He ran the floor hard, showed off some nice post moves and was nailing all his jumpshots.

Rivers showed flashes of brilliance, slashing to the lane and actually showing some nice court vision. But his shot was off and he turned the ball over a ton. Curry looked pretty good, although he doesn’t look entirely comfortable running an offense yet. 

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

 Did anyone else watch them against China this morning? Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly looked much improved. I think Kelly is due for a breakout year. He ran the floor hard, showed off some nice post moves and was nailing all his jumpshots.

Rivers showed flashes of brilliance, slashing to the lane and actually showing some nice court vision. But his shot was off and he turned the ball over a ton. Curry looked pretty good, although he doesn’t look entirely comfortable running an offense yet. 

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

We will find out real quick when duke comes to Columbus. I dont think any of Dukes big guys can handle the physicality of Sully

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

We will find out real quick when duke comes to Columbus. I dont think any of Dukes big guys can handle the physicality of Sully

[sahrgobucksParticipant]

We will find out real quick when duke comes to Columbus. I dont think any of Dukes big guys can handle the physicality of Sully

[akhan786Participant]

For those of you who didn’t watch the game vs. China…let me just inform you Ryan Kelly has arrived…

Ryan Kelly was spectacular and had upwards of 20 points. Dawkins seems much more improved and intent on taking a leadership role on the team. Seth Curry looked a little bit shaky, but I think he’ll get used to the PG duties soon enough. As much as Miles looked good…that’s about how much Mason looked bad. He didn’t play horribly, it just seems like he hasn’t improved since last season.

The freshmen played like freshmen. Austin seemed to be affected by the obscene officiating and after a couple of drives getting hacked and getting no fouls I think he was less aggressive. Plus, after tweaking his ankle he was less inclined to drive to the hoop in case he slipped again because the court was a new floor and the Duke players were falling everywhere. Miles Plumlee almost did a full split.

Like I said, this team has a lot of figuring out to do with a lot of new faces and a lot of new roles. All I pray for is a team that is healthy the whole entire season.

[akhan786Participant]

For those of you who didn’t watch the game vs. China…let me just inform you Ryan Kelly has arrived…

Ryan Kelly was spectacular and had upwards of 20 points. Dawkins seems much more improved and intent on taking a leadership role on the team. Seth Curry looked a little bit shaky, but I think he’ll get used to the PG duties soon enough. As much as Miles looked good…that’s about how much Mason looked bad. He didn’t play horribly, it just seems like he hasn’t improved since last season.

The freshmen played like freshmen. Austin seemed to be affected by the obscene officiating and after a couple of drives getting hacked and getting no fouls I think he was less aggressive. Plus, after tweaking his ankle he was less inclined to drive to the hoop in case he slipped again because the court was a new floor and the Duke players were falling everywhere. Miles Plumlee almost did a full split.

Like I said, this team has a lot of figuring out to do with a lot of new faces and a lot of new roles. All I pray for is a team that is healthy the whole entire season.

[akhan786Participant]

For those of you who didn’t watch the game vs. China…let me just inform you Ryan Kelly has arrived…

Ryan Kelly was spectacular and had upwards of 20 points. Dawkins seems much more improved and intent on taking a leadership role on the team. Seth Curry looked a little bit shaky, but I think he’ll get used to the PG duties soon enough. As much as Miles looked good…that’s about how much Mason looked bad. He didn’t play horribly, it just seems like he hasn’t improved since last season.

The freshmen played like freshmen. Austin seemed to be affected by the obscene officiating and after a couple of drives getting hacked and getting no fouls I think he was less aggressive. Plus, after tweaking his ankle he was less inclined to drive to the hoop in case he slipped again because the court was a new floor and the Duke players were falling everywhere. Miles Plumlee almost did a full split.

Like I said, this team has a lot of figuring out to do with a lot of new faces and a lot of new roles. All I pray for is a team that is healthy the whole entire season.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 That is a HUGE and white front line.  They should start a boy band.  But I think they’re a little overrated based on their youth in the backcourt.  But at the same time never underestimate coach K.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 That is a HUGE and white front line.  They should start a boy band.  But I think they’re a little overrated based on their youth in the backcourt.  But at the same time never underestimate coach K.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 That is a HUGE and white front line.  They should start a boy band.  But I think they’re a little overrated based on their youth in the backcourt.  But at the same time never underestimate coach K.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

So this means UNC & Kentucky are your Top 2 Teams?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

So this means UNC & Kentucky are your Top 2 Teams?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

So this means UNC & Kentucky are your Top 2 Teams?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

JNix, i love reading your Reports..They’re so well thoughtout and you go in depth with bench players and transfers..Something alot of major publications fail to do….

But i was wondering? For the teams you haven’t watched play that much..Where do you get your Info on them?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

JNix, i love reading your Reports..They’re so well thoughtout and you go in depth with bench players and transfers..Something alot of major publications fail to do….

But i was wondering? For the teams you haven’t watched play that much..Where do you get your Info on them?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

JNix, i love reading your Reports..They’re so well thoughtout and you go in depth with bench players and transfers..Something alot of major publications fail to do….

But i was wondering? For the teams you haven’t watched play that much..Where do you get your Info on them?

[JNixonParticipant]

 Yeah UNC and Kentucky are in the top 2.

Thanks! Honestly, I just dig up old games on Espn3 and watch them over. I do that for every team to get an idea of how teams play. I’ve been busy with school and stuff over the past year or so, I guess you can say, so I’ve just been watching a bunch of basketball over the course of the summer to really get a feel for teams with a refreshed state of mind. I could go off what I remember for some teams because I watch them alot, but I watch games over and watch out for everyone because there are subtle nuances that I don’t notice or remember from the 1st time I watch games in most cases. It takes time, but it’s more of a hobby than a chore for me because I love basketball so much.

[JNixonParticipant]

 Yeah UNC and Kentucky are in the top 2.

Thanks! Honestly, I just dig up old games on Espn3 and watch them over. I do that for every team to get an idea of how teams play. I’ve been busy with school and stuff over the past year or so, I guess you can say, so I’ve just been watching a bunch of basketball over the course of the summer to really get a feel for teams with a refreshed state of mind. I could go off what I remember for some teams because I watch them alot, but I watch games over and watch out for everyone because there are subtle nuances that I don’t notice or remember from the 1st time I watch games in most cases. It takes time, but it’s more of a hobby than a chore for me because I love basketball so much.

[JNixonParticipant]

 Yeah UNC and Kentucky are in the top 2.

Thanks! Honestly, I just dig up old games on Espn3 and watch them over. I do that for every team to get an idea of how teams play. I’ve been busy with school and stuff over the past year or so, I guess you can say, so I’ve just been watching a bunch of basketball over the course of the summer to really get a feel for teams with a refreshed state of mind. I could go off what I remember for some teams because I watch them alot, but I watch games over and watch out for everyone because there are subtle nuances that I don’t notice or remember from the 1st time I watch games in most cases. It takes time, but it’s more of a hobby than a chore for me because I love basketball so much.

[Author]

Posts