Originally Posted by
licc85
I understand that the biggest question for 2012 is Kyrie's decision to go pro or stay at Duke. Assuming he goes pro, which I think is the most likely scenario, we would have a hole in our lineup at the point guard position. Lets take a look at our options for that spot:
Seth Curry - Decent but not great ball handler, not the quickest or fastest guy, great shooter, does not have great size, good ball pressure on D, VERY intelligent on both ends, needs to work on his ability to slash and make plays.
Seth is just more naturally fit to play the 2 guard role. He plays great off the ball running around screens to get open for threes. He can also occasionally get his man in the air or make a nice move o get into the lane to make a play, but his game is spotting up for open jumpers.
Tyler Thornton - Excellent defender, plays all out all the time, not the best athlete, surprisingly good court vision, decent shooter, but not reliable from long range, makes some poor decisions with the ball sometimes, decent ball handler
Tyler is an excellent defender off the bench, he makes plays with his energy and hustle, but just isn't quite ready to start yet.
Quinn Cook (my observations from high school and all start games such as elite 24, etc.) - Actually more athletic than advertised, still not a world class athlete or have great size, but a VERY good college athlete, very quick, very fast with the ball, pass first mentality, streaky shooter who sometimes takes ill-advised shots, has great handles, good court vision, gets teammates involved constantly, excellent on the ball defender.
well . . I may have played Quinn up a bit more than intended, but it seems like a no brainer to me to have quinn come off the bench to start the year, but to groom him so that he can come in and start sometime during the ACC schedule.
Are we so worried about Kyrie's decision that we fail to see what a good point guard we have coming in? Quinn comes to Duke with relatively no hype compared to his future teammate Austin Rivers, but is one of the smartest, craftiest players at his position. He obviously doesnt have the physical tools of a guy like Marquis Teague or the God-given talent of a guy like Kyrie, but I think he's just as good if not better than a similar player such as Kendall Marshall. Isn't that just fine for what we need at that position next year? Our leading scorers will be Austin, Seth, and Ryan in some order, and I'm confident that quinn can get those guys the ball in right spots. I think our holes in the frontcourt are a much bigger issue, as well as our overall team defense.