2014 Jordan Brand Classic

[yancem]

One thing to remember with Paulus is that he had some injuries during his time at Duke. I'm not saying that he was ever a speed demon or lightning quick but he came in and started for a top 5 team his freshman year and was very solid with 5.2 apg and 6.7 ppg. I still had high expectations for him after that first year and don't remember being terribly worried about his speed/quickness but after he cam back from his first leg injury (don't remember the specifics) he seemed slower and not the same player. He quickly became more of a shooter and less of a dishing/penetrating point guard. I also think that the pressure put on him and McRoberts as sophomore team leaders hurt both of their development. There were also some chemistry issues that may have been a factor but I'm still not sure who was at fault and who wasn't (heard some stories pointing blame but not sure what is fact and what is fiction) so I won't add any more than that.

[cspan37421]

Just found this thread, and I think it's pretty impressive that Michael teamed up with Elton to sponsor this annual all-star game.

[TexHawk]

Who's going to be your point guard next season, TexHawk? Frankamp? Whom do you prefer at this point?

Frankamp + Mason. There are rumors that Devonte Graham could transfer in, but he probably ends up at NCSU. Bill will also make Wayne Selden walk/eat/sleep with a basketball all summer.

Frankamp will hopefully start (I think he will be an all-conference player by 2015-16). Mason as the backup, and will play more against the small penetrating PGs of the Big12 (Staten, Taylor).

Starters:
Frankamp
Selden
Oubre
Ellis (Turner would take this spot by January if he commits)
Alexander

Bench: Ellis, Traylor, Mason, Greene, Mickelson. Lucas will play when Alexander gets in early foul trouble.

PG is obviously the weak link (again), but I will take the Selden-Oubre-Alexander trio over anyone in the country. If Turner were to commit, that could be 4 top 10 draft picks next summer.

I don't think that's a championship team necessarily... Selden will need to build on his freshman year where he deferred to Wiggins way too much. Perimeter defense will still be a problem, perimeter shooting may be problematic (at least with the starters). Should be a fun team to watch though.

[COYS]

Totally agree. I think those who are penciling Winslow in as a starter next year are going to be disappointed. From everything I know about Duke basketball, it is far more likely that we start the season with a Jones-Cook-Sulaimon backcourt than Jones-Sulaimon-Winslow.

I don't doubt the wisdom of this post. I think it is generally a good idea to temper expectations for freshman who rank outside the top 5 (top 5 freshman have an illustrious history at Duke).

However, I think we got to see a glimpse of who Winslow can be during the Nike Hoops Summit game. No, Winslow didn't do much in the Jordan Brand Classic, but in a real team game like the Hoops Summit, he was a do-it-all utility man who, along with Tyus Jones, fueled some of Team USA's best runs. He created havoc on defense which led to a few steals and easy jams/lay-ins. He can fly in transition, which makes his ability to get in the passing lanes even more potent. He's also a solid ball handler. He doesn't appear to be a dead-eye shooter and he doesn't have the experience that Rasheed and Quinn have, but he clearly brings a lot to the table. And his qualities appear to come out best in a team game. Floor spacing will certainly be a concern next season, but if two of Tyus, Rasheed, and Quinn are capable of knocking down three pointers, then that might be enough to put a versatile defender and rebounder like Justise in the game. And while he doesn't have three point range, he is reported to be a solid mid-range shooter. If he can handle the ball at the free throw line and is a threat to score from there, he might create just enough space to get him some big minutes if he proves to be a really good defender.

[Gilby_10]

Lets look at the last two teams to start 2 small guards and have pretty good success... Well we had Louisville in 2013 with Russ Smith and Peyton Siva, they happened to be a pretty good team that cut down the nets. Then we had UConn in 2014 with Napier and Boatright, now they probably weren't the best team in the nation this year but they showed that dominate guard play can take over games. I would like to see a line-up with Cook playing off the ball because in his 3 years he has proved he cannot handle the pg duties and Jones the dominate ball handler. considering Duke will only have one senior next year it will be important that Cook have a strong season, the years Duke has had their senior captains on the floor they have been way more competitive. I think Winslow will be a huge factor off the bench mostly on the defensive end, he will bring that physicality at the SF position we have been missing since Singler

[richardjackson199]

Lets look at the last two teams to start 2 small guards and have pretty good success... Well we had Louisville in 2013 with Russ Smith and Peyton Siva, they happened to be a pretty good team that cut down the nets. Then we had UConn in 2014 with Napier and Boatright, now they probably weren't the best team in the nation this year but they showed that dominate guard play can take over games. I would like to see a line-up with Cook playing off the ball because in his 3 years he has proved he cannot handle the pg duties and Jones the dominate ball handler. considering Duke will only have one senior next year it will be important that Cook have a strong season, the years Duke has had their senior captains on the floor they have been way more competitive. I think Winslow will be a huge factor off the bench mostly on the defensive end, he will bring that physicality at the SF position we have been missing since Singler

I love the idea of starting Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook, and Rasheed Sulaimon. Myles Turner should love this idea too. Those are 3 guys who have shown their phenomenal willingness to create Sportscenter-worthy assists. They are 3 guys who can also space the floor with their shot. Okafor is going to get lots of attention in the post, meaning at Duke with those guys passing him the ball Turner would really get a chance to showcase his skillset on national TV in front of lots of NBA scouts. If Turner wants to be ready to play in the NBA after one year, he needs to not be worried about losing minutes to a guy like Amile Jefferson who is shorter, less of a rim protector, and hasn't shown the mid-range jump-shooting ability of Turner. If he can't earn minutes at the 4 vs. Amile, then he probably isn't ready to earn minutes in the NBA against an NBA starting power forward. But the truth is he is good enough to earn plenty of minutes at the 4 for Duke next year. If anything he could learn alot from Jefferson, and they could both get plenty of minutes at the 4, focusing on good defense without having to worry as much about fouling out.

This would also still leave plenty of minutes for Winslow at the 3 who is another guy Turner should love to play with. Reportedly everybody loves to play with Winslow and Tyus Jones.

I hated hearing that Duke is virtually out of it for Turner, because I really think he could be the final piece to a national championship level team next year. He possesses all the skills we need at our position of greatest need. Obviously we can't avoid freshman inexperience at this point, but good freshmen with some upper class leadership from guys like Rasheed and Quinn could win it all.

Turner could really help Duke accomplish their goals next year. Duke could really help Turner accomplish his. I'm going to hold out a glimmer of hope since Coach K has an in-home with Turner on Wed. Coach K can be the master of the in-home. I know Coach K has a much better plan than mine above for turning Turner.

[tommy]

I don't doubt the wisdom of this post. I think it is generally a good idea to temper expectations for freshman who rank outside the top 5 (top 5 freshman have an illustrious history at Duke).

However, I think we got to see a glimpse of who Winslow can be during the Nike Hoops Summit game. No, Winslow didn't do much in the Jordan Brand Classic, but in a real team game like the Hoops Summit, he was a do-it-all utility man who, along with Tyus Jones, fueled some of Team USA's best runs. He created havoc on defense which led to a few steals and easy jams/lay-ins. He can fly in transition, which makes his ability to get in the passing lanes even more potent. He's also a solid ball handler. He doesn't appear to be a dead-eye shooter and he doesn't have the experience that Rasheed and Quinn have, but he clearly brings a lot to the table. And his qualities appear to come out best in a team game. Floor spacing will certainly be a concern next season, but if two of Tyus, Rasheed, and Quinn are capable of knocking down three pointers, then that might be enough to put a versatile defender and rebounder like Justise in the game. And while he doesn't have three point range, he is reported to be a solid mid-range shooter. If he can handle the ball at the free throw line and is a threat to score from there, he might create just enough space to get him some big minutes if he proves to be a really good defender.

I like that last thought. We really struggled at times against the zone last year when Amile was at the free throw line, but he couldn't/wouldn't shoot that free throw line jumpshot. We did better when Rodney or Jabari manned that spot. But Winslow would be the perfect guy there. He can definitely hit that shot, but he also would be able to drive past those charging back-of the-zone guys and take it to the hoop strong. Perfect for him.

[jipops]

A legit title contender? They might be a contender for 2nd place in the Big 12, but that's about it. Rick Barnes couldn't even get past the 2nd (now "3rd") round of the Tournament with Kevin Durant and DJ Augustin. They finished 11-7 in the Big 12 this year (tied for 3rd). KU will win the Big 12 title again for the 11th straight year. I believe Duke will absolutely be a much better team than Texas next year and out of the teams Turner is looking at, Texas is maybe the 3rd best option (although they could even be 4th behind SMU with Mudiay).

By that logic, what does that say about K?

Yea, I think Barnes is pretty mediocre as a coach but Texas has quite a few experienced options next season, not just one or two guys. They bring back 4 double figure scorers. Add Turner then yea, it's as realistic for them to be a title contender as it is for Barnes to screw it up.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I like that last thought. We really struggled at times against the zone last year when Amile was at the free throw line, but he couldn't/wouldn't shoot that free throw line jumpshot. We did better when Rodney or Jabari manned that spot. But Winslow would be the perfect guy there. He can definitely hit that shot, but he also would be able to drive past those charging back-of the-zone guys and take it to the hoop strong. Perfect for him.

And perhaps Amile, recognizing what appears to be tidal wave movement toward zone defense, will be working this summer on his 12-15 ft jumper. He can already take the ball to the hoop with some effectiveness. Adding a mid range shot will make him even more valuable.

[Troublemaker]

I don't know about the rest of Duke fans but I wanted Reid Travis... badly.

Yeah, I was a "that fan" on the previous post with my "Duke didn't really want him that badly" stuff. Even if it could be confirmed by insiders, it's better left unsaid. I'll try not to be "that fan" again.

Frankamp will hopefully start (I think he will be an all-conference player by 2015-16).

He did do really well on one of the USA youth teams, as I'm sure you know. Was the scoring leader on a team that included Jabari, Jahlil, Tyus, and other big names. Frankamp might surprise nationally next season.

[COYS]

I'm late to the party and finally got a chance to finish watching the game. A lot has already been said, but I thought I'd add just a little bit more.

First, I was truly impressed with how well Jahlil moves on the court. He was extremely quick and looked slimmer than I've ever seen him. He got down the floor for easy buckets time and time again. Obviously, when the defense isn't hustling, it's easy to accomplish this. However, I still think it bodes well for his conditioning, which is something that has been mentioned as a minor concern for him. I was also impressed with his lateral quickness. He's not going to guard opposing point guards every time down the court, of course, but he's got the quickness to hedge and recover on defense.

Tyus was really smooth. I thought it was telling that in a wide open all star game in which guards, forwards, and centers frequently take the ball coast to coast simply for the fun of it, Tyus' teammates consistently made sure he got the ball to run the offense. He created so many easy baskets for his teammates and seems like a really fun guy to play with, on the court. He's an excellent ball handler (there was a notable difference in how smooth the East's offense looked when Tyus was on the court vs. when Grayson and James Blackman were in, together), and keeps his head up. He didn't face any really tough defense, nor did he apply any, but his vision and passing ability were on display. He made absolutely sure to reward Jahlil for sprinting down the court by giving him the ball every time he was open.

Grayson's biggest area for improvement on offense will be his ballhandling. He's not bad, but he got himself into a few bad situations because his handle isn't quite as sharp as it could be. However, he has a competitive fire and seems to ooze confidence. I still think he'll be scraping for minutes next year, but he has the physical tools to be a dominant force on both ends of the court before all is said and done.

Justise didn't have any highlight reel plays, but I actually thought he looked pretty good. He made some great defensive plays, came up with a few steals, was the first person on the West to set up their press at the end of the game (when his teammates often forgot or didn't bother to set it up), and even knocked down a three. He also had a nice drive and kick which showed his ball handling ability. The shooter (I can't remember who it was) missed the shot, denying him the assist. However, he looked really smooth. As I've said before, I think he'll thrive in a real team game, just as he did at the Hoops Summit. If we lacked anything last season, it was a defense-first player with the physical ability to match his instincts for the game (Tyler has great basketball instincts, but at 6-0 he was just a little small and a little slow compared to some of the guys he faced). Whether or not he'll learn Duke's defense quickly as a freshman remains to be seen, but I have high hopes that he'll carve out a role. I hesitate to compare him to such a successful NBA star, but he can play an Iquodala type role. He's got great athleticism and strength for a 6-6 guy. He seems to relish the role of defensive bulldog. He seems to have a solid handle and at least decent vision (I'd bet he'll prove a pretty good passer for a small forward). And, perhaps best of all, he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective on offense. In fact, I would venture to say he's probably better as a third/fourth option on offense who can clean up on the glass and slash to the hoop. Something tells me the staff and the fans are going to love the havoc he creates on defense. He might not start, but I see him having a rather large role next season.

[duke09hms]

Totally agree. I think those who are penciling Winslow in as a starter next year are going to be disappointed. From everything I know about Duke basketball, it is far more likely that we start the season with a Jones-Cook-Sulaimon backcourt than Jones-Sulaimon-Winslow.

Perhaps but K did say defense would be an emphasis. The Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would get destroyed on defense.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Perhaps but K did say defense would be an emphasis. The Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would get destroyed on defense.

This. This. This. And this.

The Jones-Cook-Sulaimon line-up looks great offensively: possibly the best ball-handling trio in college, good-to-great 3pt shooting, driving, spin-moves, passing...it has it all!

On defense? Different story. Somehow, Sulaimon didn't improve on D that much from last year. Cook is gets burned and is too quick to go for steals. And if Jones is already being criticized in high school as a subpar defender, how is he going to perform in college?

We need a M. Jones or Winslow out there to help with the D. I'd be shocked if we started the ACC with Jones, Cook, and Sulaimon.

[UrinalCake]

Perhaps but K did say defense would be an emphasis. The Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would get destroyed on defense.

I know we're all kind of in a sour mood from how the season ended, but my skepticism regarding Winslow comes mostly from seeing Gbinije ride the pine, who I see as a similar player to Winslow. The whole season we were dying for someone who could guard the big wings, yet Coach K continued to play three of Tyler, Quinn, Seth, and Rivers in the back court. Which makes me think that it is really hard for a defensive-only player to get minutes as a freshman. Matt Jones did get some burn this year, and I could see Winslow getting similar minutes this coming season, but I'm just not among those who foresee him starting and playing 30 minutes, unless he really REALLY exceeds expectations, like to an almost unprecedented degree.

With that said, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what he can do and watching him develop over the next few years.

[CDu]

I know we're all kind of in a sour mood from how the season ended, but my skepticism regarding Winslow comes mostly from seeing Gbinije ride the pine, who I see as a similar player to Winslow. The whole season we were dying for someone who could guard the big wings, yet Coach K continued to play three of Tyler, Quinn, Seth, and Rivers in the back court. Which makes me think that it is really hard for a defensive-only player to get minutes as a freshman. Matt Jones did get some burn this year, and I could see Winslow getting similar minutes this coming season, but I'm just not among those who foresee him starting and playing 30 minutes, unless he really REALLY exceeds expectations, like to an almost unprecedented degree.

With that said, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what he can do and watching him develop over the next few years.

I think it's important to note that Winslow is a top 10-15 recruit (#12 in the summer RSCI and I suspect not likely to drop by the final RSCI). Gbinije was the #28 player in RSCI. So while the two players may have somewhat similar games, it would appear that Winslow plays that game at a slightly higher level.

In general, with regard to recruits at Duke playing as freshmen:
- top-10 recruits play major minutes
- #11-20 are a mixed bag; some play big minutes right away, some are reserves
- #20+ recruits best hope for glaring holes on the depth chart, because otherwise they aren't playing significant minutes as freshmen

Winslow falls in that gray area between "sure-fire, major minutes guy" and "reserve". But he definitely seems more likely to get minutes as a freshman than Gbinije.

[wk2109]

Perhaps but K did say defense would be an emphasis. The Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would get destroyed on defense.

Would Jones-Cook-Sheed be much worse than Curry-Cook-Sheed (Duke's backcourt from 2013)? I know defense is not played in a vacuum -- the big men play a big role in team defense and the 2013 had two senior big men in Mason and Ryan with lots of experience playing Duke defense (though Mason often played matador defense to avoid foul trouble and obviously Ryan was hurt). But I feel like everyone is forgetting that Sheed played the 3 almost exclusively as a freshman, and the 2013 team's defense wasn't that bad.

Considering that Tyus is around the same size as Seth and probably has more lateral quickness than an injured Seth did, I don't think anyone can definitively say that Jones-Cook-Sheed would get 'destroyed' on defense any more than Curry-Cook-Sheed got 'destroyed.' Of course, whether Duke's team defense, including the bigs, is any good is a question left to be answered.

I think K will see how much the rule changes affect his defensive strategy and plan accordingly. I believe the defensive struggles of this year's team were based on three big factors: the rule changes on the perimeter, the inability of Rodney/Jabari to grasp all of the rotations and the lack of a true big man. I don't think a Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would prevent Duke from fixing any three of those problems.

[Kedsy]

I know we're all kind of in a sour mood from how the season ended, but my skepticism regarding Winslow comes mostly from seeing Gbinije ride the pine, who I see as a similar player to Winslow. The whole season we were dying for someone who could guard the big wings, yet Coach K continued to play three of Tyler, Quinn, Seth, and Rivers in the back court. Which makes me think that it is really hard for a defensive-only player to get minutes as a freshman. Matt Jones did get some burn this year, and I could see Winslow getting similar minutes this coming season, but I'm just not among those who foresee him starting and playing 30 minutes, unless he really REALLY exceeds expectations, like to an almost unprecedented degree.

With that said, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what he can do and watching him develop over the next few years.

A big difference between Michael Gbinije or Matt Jones and Justise is that Michael and Matt were not nearly as good players as Justise coming out of high school. Historically, a high school recruit rated #28 (as Silent G was) or #34 (as Matt was) rarely breaks into Duke's rotation as a freshman. A high school recruit rated #12 (as Justise is) often starts and almost always plays at least solid rotation minutes at Duke. Your comparison is not apt.

[CDu]

Would Jones-Cook-Sheed be much worse than Curry-Cook-Sheed (Duke's backcourt from 2013)? I know defense is not played in a vacuum -- the big men play a big role in team defense and the 2013 had two senior big men in Mason and Ryan with lots of experience playing Duke defense (though Mason often played matador defense to avoid foul trouble and obviously Ryan was hurt). But I feel like everyone is forgetting that Sheed played the 3 almost exclusively as a freshman, and the 2013 team's defense wasn't that bad.

Considering that Tyus is around the same size as Seth and probably has more lateral quickness than an injured Seth did, I don't think anyone can definitively say that Jones-Cook-Sheed would get 'destroyed' on defense any more than Curry-Cook-Sheed got 'destroyed.' Of course, whether Duke's team defense, including the bigs, is any good is a question left to be answered.

I think K will see how much the rule changes affect his defensive strategy and plan accordingly. I believe the defensive struggles of this year's team were based on three big factors: the rule changes on the perimeter, the inability of Rodney/Jabari to grasp all of the rotations and the lack of a true big man. I don't think a Jones-Cook-Sheed backcourt would prevent Duke from fixing any three of those problems.

Yeah, I'm agnostic about whether or not Jones/Cook/Sulaimon would work defensively. But I'm fully on board with the argument that it could work. Very few teams present size concerns so severe at the SF spot that Sulaimon couldn't work there. And we've seen lots of teams play two smaller guards with great success. Would it be an ideal trio defensively? Probably not. Could it be a good enough defensive trio to warrant the clear benefit that would come offensively? I think so.

[TexHawk]

He did do really well on one of the USA youth teams, as I'm sure you know. Was the scoring leader on a team that included Jabari, Jahlil, Tyus, and other big names. Frankamp might surprise nationally next season.

I DO know this. Frankamp is the KU player I have been the most excited about since... I dunno, Sherron Collins probably. He's a Kansas kid with a mean-streak, and he was just deadly in high school. He needs the ball in his hands, and Coach Self (rightly so) couldn't hand him the keys as a freshman, with 3 likely lottery picks needing the ball. He's not a catch-and-shoot guy, so he played a bit out of position last year.

His problem in 14-15 will be defense and strength, so I hope he sets up camp in Hudy's weight room this summer.

[tommy]

I know we're all kind of in a sour mood from how the season ended, but my skepticism regarding Winslow comes mostly from seeing Gbinije ride the pine, who I see as a similar player to Winslow. The whole season we were dying for someone who could guard the big wings, yet Coach K continued to play three of Tyler, Quinn, Seth, and Rivers in the back court. Which makes me think that it is really hard for a defensive-only player to get minutes as a freshman. Matt Jones did get some burn this year, and I could see Winslow getting similar minutes this coming season, but I'm just not among those who foresee him starting and playing 30 minutes, unless he really REALLY exceeds expectations, like to an almost unprecedented degree.

With that said, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what he can do and watching him develop over the next few years.

I don't see Winslow and Gbinije's games as being all that similar, actually. Justise plays much more physically than does Gbinije, who is more of a finesse guy. His defense is better than Gbinije's too -- I thought this aspect of Gbinije's game was overrated, at least on these boards, when he was at Duke. Part of the "shiny new thing" syndrome.

And while it may or may not be true that it's hard for a defensive-only player to get minutes as a freshman at Duke, Winslow is not a defensive-only player. The kid has plenty of skills at the offensive end too. Plenty.