Michael Gbinije's Role Next Year?

[Steven Allen]

I started a thread about Cook earlier, and this one is in the same vein. Where do you think Gbinije fits in next year? Obviously there are a lot of minutes at the 3 to be had with Singler's departure, so how do you see his role?

Personally I think he's the most under appreciated player in our 2011 class. He's sprouted a couple extra inches (about 6-8) and has a great mid range game with a great pull up jumper. IMO, he will be best utilized at the 2 or 3 depending on if K wants more or less size from the backcourt/wing.

Here's a pretty cool vid in which he says he thinks he will start (not arrogantly, just says he thinks he can step in right away).

[Duke09]

Real Gs move in silence like lasagna!

[Dukeface88]

Here's a pretty cool vid in which he says he thinks he will start (not arrogantly, just says he thinks he can step in right away).



I think he's got a chance. I have the impression that Seth and Austin will fill two of the three perimeter spots (not neccessarily the 1 and 2), but that the third is sort of up for grabs. There's a lot of options; we could go with Gbinjie for stat stuffing, or Cook for distribution, or Dre for shooting and experience, or Thornton for defense...you get the idea. It will depend on who steps up and how the various line ups work out during the summer/fall practices. I also wouldn't be at all surprised to see another mid-season shakeup.

[Saratoga2]

It is pretty early to predict who will start in key positions and who will get significant playing time. Many people believe Austin will be our starting shooting guard and will get a lot of minutes there. We need to replace a lot of scoring, so he is likely to give us offense we will need. Seth or Andre may get time at shooting guard as well.

The point guard questions are there with Seth getting the nod early on based on experience, but with both Tyler and Quinn with perhaps better ball handling and in tyler's case perhaps better defense if he can avoid cheap fouls.

Andre will probably get first shot at the small forward slot, but there are the two new guys in Michael a nd Alex who have size advantages. Will they learn to score and to defend well enough to get PT will be the question. My guess is yes as the season progresses.

We have virtually the samme big as last year with MP1, MP2, Ryan and Josh all the more exxperienced and MP3 available to learn from the others.

So, will Michael get solid PT? I think that both he and Alex will as the season progresses. It will depend on their commitment to play defense and how well their games translate at the DIV I level.

[darjum]

I think he's got a chance. I have the impression that Seth and Austin will fill two of the three perimeter spots (not neccessarily the 1 and 2), but that the third is sort of up for grabs. There's a lot of options; we could go with Gbinjie for stat stuffing, or Cook for distribution, or Dre for shooting and experience, or Thornton for defense...you get the idea. It will depend on who steps up and how the various line ups work out during the summer/fall practices. I also wouldn't be at all surprised to see another mid-season shakeup.

He does appear to be a glue guy, who will do what is needed in order to get the job done. And if all reports are true and he's 6-8 now that will really work to his advantage as a defensive stopper. Along with Murphy, he supplies Duke with such wonderful flexibility at the wing position.

[yancem]

He does appear to be a glue guy, who will do what is needed in order to get the job done. And if all reports are true and he's 6-8 now that will really work to his advantage as a defensive stopper. Along with Murphy, he supplies Duke with such wonderful flexibility at the wing position.

I'm skeptical about the reports that he has grown to 6'8". I watched him in one of the all star game he played in and he didn't seem to be more 6'5"-6'6" based on how he compared to the other players like Gilchrist. I have also read a couple of personal accounts from people that have seen him in person. I hope that it's true but he can still be a great player even if he hasn't grown the extra inches.

[Olympic Fan]

In the first place, we're going to see A LOT of different starting lineups next season. K almost always plays with his lineups -- in 2009 and 2010, he totally revamped his rotation late in the season to spark a strong finishing kick. Last year, he was forced to change after Irving was hurt, but he also alternated Miles and Kelly at one post spot and tried both Curry and Dawkins alongside Nolan at guard. Even Tyler got a few starts.

I think going into next year, three players are almost certain to start the great majority of games -- Mason, Seth and Austin Rivers. Ryan Kelly will also one of the big four when it comes to minutes played, but after his success late last year as a sixth man, he might not be a starter.

That leaves a bunch of options for the fifth -- and maybe the fourth spot in the rotation. If Kelly remains the sixth man, then Miles almost certainly starts in the post. Andre is the logical guy to start at the three, although he could be pushed by Gbinije and maybe Murphy. And if Daniels does decide to join us, he joins the mix at three (although he could also see some minutes at four).

But K could also elect to go with a true point guard, which would mean either Tyler or Quinn Cook at the point with Seth and Austin on the wings and two bigs.

I think we'll see all of these options at times next season. In K's system, the guys who succeed will see the most minutes. Nothing is guaranteed anybody.

Just one warning -- we can do all the speculating we want, but in the end K is going to come up with something few of us expect -- how many thought the 2009 Devils would finally blossom with Scheyer at the point, Williams on the wing and Nolan on the bench? How many guessed that the key bto the 2010 national championship team would be Zoubek's emergence at center?

K has a lot of talent and a lot of options. It's going to be fun to watch him juggle everything.

[darjum]

I'm skeptical about the reports that he has grown to 6'8". I watched him in one of the all star game he played in and he didn't seem to be more 6'5"-6'6" based on how he compared to the other players like Gilchrist. I have also read a couple of personal accounts from people that have seen him in person. I hope that it's true but he can still be a great player even if he hasn't grown the extra inches.

Me too, that's exactly what I thought when I saw the highlights of the Jordan game, he looks 6-6, which obviously is nothing to sneeze at! But yes, he will still be a dynamic player at Duke regardless of the inches.

[Reddevil]

Real Gs move in silence like lasagna!

Bologna!:cool: I believe it is a good thing they are taking a basketball trip this summer to get away and find out who they are as a team. As usual, the best defensive guys will get the minutes. That shifts the balance in favor of experience in the program. As talented as the freshmen are, they have quite a bit of proving to do. That said, practices this year should be more intense than ever. Duke is still a top ten program this year even though they are going through a transition. This will be one of those teams that only a handful will be able to handle, and most practices will provide more competion than many games. The thing I find most pleasing is that Duke is set up to be really good for the next several years. The competion never rests, but I like what I see from the coaching staff. Silent G will be important to the program. We don't know when. The staff is probably even speculating at this point. Getting the ball rolling early this season is big, because there are so many unanswered questions. The cream will rise to the top, but that does not mean that those that are not at the top will not be contributors, and at the top themselves in the near future. I don't think I have seen so much individual talent on one Duke squad at the same time. That does not guarantee anything of course. Building this group into a team will be challenging. Other teams are also loaded, and have more experience. Depending on how this all plays out, Duke may be peaking as a team in 2013 or 2014, but the fun of being a fan is that things rarely unfold as we would imagine. Anyway, the '11-'12 edition will be fun to get to know.

[loldevilz]

A lot of scouts have mentioned that G should have an easier transition to college than most because of his very mature game. I hope thats the case because he will be needed on the wing.

[gumbomoop]

I've seen Gbinije 4 or 5 times on tv, in HS tourney games, plus 2 all-star games. I've posted some praise of Gbinije several times [mostly on the Welcome to Duke, MG, thread]. My impressions:

He's an alert player, good court sense. Made 2 alert plays on D in the Jordan Classic game: a hustle deflection to stop a breakaway alley-oop, and a subsequent flick on a pass into the post. Minor stuff, but alert.

He's got a chip on his shoulder, I think because he's rarely seen as a blue-chipper. I'm guessing - though maybe he actually said something about this in an interview - he's a little irritated at being taken for granted, at being an afterthought [as in, "Oh, right, I forgot about Gbinije."] His attitude is, "I can play with these guys; I belong." He can and he does, not as a star just yet, but as a steady contributor. A glue guy, yes, but more than that.

He took his share, maybe more, of his shots in the Jordan Classic. He's calm but not meek. He doesn't seem to woof much, but he's got some attitude.

I have read several times that one of his coaches says he's nearly 6'8", but I doubt it. Always hard to tell, given the fudging that goes on about players' height at all levels, but I'd guess 6'6". He seems readier than most to play D, in part because he's smart enough to know that D counts.

I think his handle is ok, not great. To become one of Duke's main threats on O [2012-'13 and beyond], he'll have to improve his handle.

[dyedwab]

I've seen Gbinije 4 or 5 times on tv, in HS tourney games, plus 2 all-star games. I've posted some praise of Gbinije several times [mostly on the Welcome to Duke, MG, thread]. My impressions:

He's an alert player, good court sense. Made 2 alert plays on D in the Jordan Classic game: a hustle deflection to stop a breakaway alley-oop, and a subsequent flick on a pass into the post. Minor stuff, but alert.

He's got a chip on his shoulder, I think because he's rarely seen as a blue-chipper. I'm guessing - though maybe he actually said something about this in an interview - he's a little irritated at being taken for granted, at being an afterthought [as in, "Oh, right, I forgot about Gbinije."] His attitude is, "I can play with these guys; I belong." He can and he does, not as a star just yet, but as a steady contributor. A glue guy, yes, but more than that.

He took his share, maybe more, of his shots in the Jordan Classic. He's calm but not meek. He doesn't seem to woof much, but he's got some attitude.

I have read several times that one of his coaches says he's nearly 6'8", but I doubt it. Always hard to tell, given the fudging that goes on about players' height at all levels, but I'd guess 6'6". He seems readier than most to play D, in part because he's smart enough to know that D counts.

I think his handle is ok, not great. To become one of Duke's main threats on O [2012-'13 and beyond], he'll have to improve his handle.

First of all, thanks for this description. I think it gives us a great picture of what kind of player we should be looking for when he takes the court for the Blue Devils next year.

Second, this description sounds similar in a lot of ways to what one could have said about Chris Carrawell as an incoming freshman. And C-well earned a lot of playing time early - earlier than a lot of us expected - because of his commitment to defense. So you point about Gbinije being potentially more ready on the defensive end than the average freshman seems particularly resonant.

Thanks for a nice informative comment.