Offseason homework assignments for the team

[CDu]

Now that we're officially in the offseason for everybody in college basketball, I thought it would be time to start the ever exciting thread of what our guys should be working on in the offseason. Below are my thoughts on the returning players. Caveat #1: I've obviously excluded the incoming freshmen, as we just don't know enough about these guys to say. I think the easiest answer for all of them is to get acclimated with college life and get ready for the dramatic change in speed and strength and quality of the opposition. Caveat #2: This list assumes no further changes to the roster. Obviously we are still recruiting Bolden heavily, indicating that changes may be coming to the roster. Caveat #3: I limited this list to the guys who - if here - I would expect to be competing for rotation minutes. In other words, I haven't included Obi, Vrankovic, or any of the other walk-ons including Robinson.

In alphabetical order:

Allen: Allen took a HUGE step forward last year in playing as the focal point of an offense. I doubt that changes dramatically next year, as he will be the face of the program. For Allen, I think developing a more nuanced ballhandling game will be priority #1. This year, he was dominant in spot-up shots and in essentially straight-line drives. What I'd like to see him work on is diversifying his scoring game to be able to create open shots for himself off the dribble. Allen never really created separation off the dribble. When he drove, it was largely a drive to the rim, and if he didn't get by his man he simply tried to outathlete his man. That worked really well, as he was incredibly efficient for such a high-usage player. But in terms of maximizing his chances of success at the next level and in terms of addressing areas of "weakness" in his game, if he could add a few additional wrinkles to his game (a step-back jumper, a stronger cross-over jumper, a hesitation dribble, etc.) he'll be that much more dominant in college AND that much more likely to succeed at the next level. Some might say that priority #2 would be to develop PG skills. But to be completely honest, I don't think that's a good use of his time and skills. He is a shark on the court, and he should focus on refining his shark-like instincts. Be a predator, not a distributor.

Jefferson: Get healthy, first and foremost. I'm hopeful that he's already achieved this milestone. But if not, that's the next step. After that, work on that mid-range jumper and free-throw shooting. He's clever enough around the basket already. What he hasn't yet done is show that he can be a threat outside of 10 feet. If he can improve his shooting touch to be an adequate midrange guy and a capable free throw shooter, he'll maximize. I won't get carried away in saying for him to learn a 3pt shot. That's just too pie-in-the-sky. But if he can be credible from 15 feet, he can create that much more space for our guards to drive and he can be that much more dangerous on pump fakes and dives to the rim.

Jeter: Strength and understanding of positioning are first and foremost. Learn where to be defensively to protect the rim. Learn where to be defensively to get rebounds. Learn where to be offensively to be an outlet for easy layups, and learn to be ready for those opportunities. But mostly, get stronger and more able to handle yourself inside at the college level.

Jones: Get your ankles healthy. After that, keep polishing your defensive skills and that catch-and-shoot 3pt shot. I think Jones is a perfect fit along side all of our ball-dominant wings as a '3 and D' option who doesn't need the ball in his hands. If he can be a lock-down defender as our primary wing defender and serve as a floor spacer for our ball handlers, that's a great fit. So focus on becoming the best '3 and D' guy possible.

Kennard: Figure out what happened to your 3pt shot this year. Basically, if you could meld the strengths of Kennard with the strengths of Allen, you'd have the greatest scoring weapon ever. Kennard has the nuanced offensive game but didn't have the 3pt shot falling this year, while Allen had the 3 ball and athletic prowess but didn't have the nuanced skill set to fully maximize his athletic gifts. I don't think Kennard is going to suddenly become a great athlete, but if he can harness the 3pt shot that he had in high school, the sky is the limit for him in college.

Thornton: Work on your floor game. The athleticism, dribbling skill, and defensive instincts were all there this year. But the court awareness, decision making, and overall PG skill set was not. Thornton looked like a kid who was used to dominating less athletic, less big, and less skilled opponents as is not uncommon for a freshman. He has a lot of work to do to manage a game as a PG. Just getting a better understanding of the game and how to play the position is the biggest thing. Priority #2: develop a better perimeter shot. That will go a long way towards helping in other areas.

[JNort]

Now that we're officially in the offseason for everybody in college basketball, I thought it would be time to start the ever exciting thread of what our guys should be working on in the offseason. Below are my thoughts on the returning players. Caveat #1: I've obviously excluded the incoming freshmen, as we just don't know enough about these guys to say. I think the easiest answer for all of them is to get acclimated with college life and get ready for the dramatic change in speed and strength and quality of the opposition. Caveat #2: This list assumes no further changes to the roster. Obviously we are still recruiting Bolden heavily, indicating that changes may be coming to the roster. Caveat #3: I limited this list to the guys who - if here - I would expect to be competing for rotation minutes. In other words, I haven't included Obi, Vrankovic, or any of the other walk-ons including Robinson.

In alphabetical order:

Allen: Allen took a HUGE step forward last year in playing as the focal point of an offense. I doubt that changes dramatically next year, as he will be the face of the program. For Allen, I think developing a more nuanced ballhandling game will be priority #1. This year, he was dominant in spot-up shots and in essentially straight-line drives. What I'd like to see him work on is diversifying his scoring game to be able to create open shots for himself off the dribble. Allen never really created separation off the dribble. When he drove, it was largely a drive to the rim, and if he didn't get by his man he simply tried to outathlete his man. That worked really well, as he was incredibly efficient for such a high-usage player. But in terms of maximizing his chances of success at the next level and in terms of addressing areas of "weakness" in his game, if he could add a few additional wrinkles to his game (a step-back jumper, a stronger cross-over jumper, a hesitation dribble, etc.) he'll be that much more dominant in college AND that much more likely to succeed at the next level. Some might say that priority #2 would be to develop PG skills. But to be completely honest, I don't think that's a good use of his time and skills. He is a shark on the court, and he should focus on refining his shark-like instincts. Be a predator, not a distributor.

Jefferson: Get healthy, first and foremost. I'm hopeful that he's already achieved this milestone. But if not, that's the next step. After that, work on that mid-range jumper and free-throw shooting. He's clever enough around the basket already. What he hasn't yet done is show that he can be a threat outside of 10 feet. If he can improve his shooting touch to be an adequate midrange guy and a capable free throw shooter, he'll maximize. I won't get carried away in saying for him to learn a 3pt shot. That's just too pie-in-the-sky. But if he can be credible from 15 feet, he can create that much more space for our guards to drive and he can be that much more dangerous on pump fakes and dives to the rim.

Jeter: Strength and understanding of positioning are first and foremost. Learn where to be defensively to protect the rim. Learn where to be defensively to get rebounds. Learn where to be offensively to be an outlet for easy layups, and learn to be ready for those opportunities. But mostly, get stronger and more able to handle yourself inside at the college level.

Jones: Get your ankles healthy. After that, keep polishing your defensive skills and that catch-and-shoot 3pt shot. I think Jones is a perfect fit along side all of our ball-dominant wings as a '3 and D' option who doesn't need the ball in his hands. If he can be a lock-down defender as our primary wing defender and serve as a floor spacer for our ball handlers, that's a great fit. So focus on becoming the best '3 and D' guy possible.

Kennard: Figure out what happened to your 3pt shot this year. Basically, if you could meld the strengths of Kennard with the strengths of Allen, you'd have the greatest scoring weapon ever. Kennard has the nuanced offensive game but didn't have the 3pt shot falling this year, while Allen had the 3 ball and athletic prowess but didn't have the nuanced skill set to fully maximize his athletic gifts. I don't think Kennard is going to suddenly become a great athlete, but if he can harness the 3pt shot that he had in high school, the sky is the limit for him in college.

Thornton: Work on your floor game. The athleticism, dribbling skill, and defensive instincts were all there this year. But the court awareness, decision making, and overall PG skill set was not. Thornton looked like a kid who was used to dominating less athletic, less big, and less skilled opponents as is not uncommon for a freshman. He has a lot of work to do to manage a game as a PG. Just getting a better understanding of the game and how to play the position is the biggest thing. Priority #2: develop a better perimeter shot. That will go a long way towards helping in other areas.

I agree with this. Not to mention he will definitely be playing sg at the next level not pg! I like all your overall analysis of what should be done and think that for the freshmen guys this past season just simply being here another year will improve them drastically.

[Henderson]

Dang CDu, that's good. Don't agree with all of it, but it's still good stuff.

For Grayson, Luke, and Amile, I'd also emphasize this: Lift, run, and get stronger. Grayson's body looks like it can take on a lot more muscle mass. Amile can get, and has gotten, stonger. If there's silver lining to Amile's foot situation, he could during his time out continue to strengthen, condition, and add weight to his upper body.

Amile: He's not a slough-off. He's been using his time to repair and recover, given. But, because of the guy he is, I'd guess he's been going further to improve himself than is covered, whatever that is, and whether you see it or not. He could be a monster this coming year. He's had a lot of time to think about it.

[jimsumner]

Allen was quite candid with the media this year that he needs to improve his left hand. Look for that to be a point of emphasis.

[whereinthehellami]

Fun thread CDu.

Allen - Get and use a good head and shot fake. I loved Kris Jenkins going all old school with the pumpfakes in the NCAA tourney. Very effective. Luke showed us some fakes and savviness this year.

Jefferson - I think i'm in the minority but I like Jefferson operating around the hoop, he is so sneaky. I like how last year he was showing the ability to dribble drive. I'd like to see more of that development.

Jeter - Confidence my man. He showed some flashes of ability, so you know he can do it. He has got the size and physical attributes to be a stud. Talk to Jones about how it hit him that one off-season and he said "why not me" for a starting role. Believing it, is half the battle.

Jones - a floater, no more drives. And only use it to keep the defense honest. We really need him to take the freshmen under his wing one more time and show them how to get where Duke can go.

Kennard - patience, young fellow. Last year he was like a flower trying to bloom in 3 different directions at once. As long as he stays healthy he is gonna be a load. The kid is a sponge. I love how the coaches say that he is easy to play with. Big jump in shooting percentages coming this year.

[Indoor66]

A rather pretentious thread.

[CDu]

A rather pretentious thread.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[FerryFor50]

I'm thinking a UNC offseason homework assignment thread would be much shorter.

[Troublemaker]

A rather pretentious thread.

I honestly don't even know what the pretension is.

This is standard offseason talk for sports fans, discussing how next year's team could be improved. If that's out-of-bounds, we might as well shut down EKB because everything else is going to be pretentious, too.

Great write up, CDu.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Matt Jones- Stop giving away and 1s like its going out of style. Seems like every game we lost as soon as we got some momentum you could bet on it that Matt Jones was going to foul someone on a layup and let him score plus the one. It was the most annoying thing about this season that I can recall. I like Matt Jones a lot, but this part of his game really ticked me off. Just stop it Matt, either foul the guy hard enough to stop the score, or don't foul him at all.

[weezie]

Entire team: passing, passing and passing. And ball-handling.

[MChambers]

Entire team: passing, passing and passing. And ball-handling.

Defense, too. I'd really like to see a top notch defensive team next year. Not sure how much one can do on that in the offseason, of course.

[CDu]

Defense, too. I'd really like to see a top notch defensive team next year. Not sure how much one can do on that in the offseason, of course.

It will help that we get one of our best defenders back in Jefferson. And our young guys will be a year older. And having enough able bodies should help with in-game fatigue. And shouldn't be undersized on the defensive glass. But, yeah, team defense is going to be a priority issue.

[Billy Dat]

A rather pretentious thread.

What makes this thread different from all others? I was going to start one suggesting how each player should wear his hair but now I won't, which is too bad because I had some good ideas. I am just glad none of our guys went for the dyed blonde top, shaved sides look I like to call "The Sunset". I can't stand that look Jared Sullinger, Zach Auguste, et al.


Defense, too. I'd really like to see a top notch defensive team next year. Not sure how much one can do on that in the offseason, of course.

Me, too, which is why I want them all to work on their TALKING. From everything I have read from the coaches, being verbally outward on defense achieves two aims, it helps everyone to understand how to team defend and it also help players move on to the "next play" when the offense might not be clicking. K kept emphasizing that his weaker defensive teams have let bad offense impact their defense. Amile is supposed to be great at this, and he'll replace Marshall's voice. One hope Matt continues to develop his voice and show that defensive leadership. Grayson seems like a guy who needs to be more vocal. Luke seems like he's ok with being vocal, but needs to not let offense dictate his defense. Derryck has the defensive chops, but youngsters tend to be quiet. As Nate James has said, talking gets a guy out of his own head and into the team mentality. If we want to win the title, we can't be hovering in that 50-100 KenPom ranking range.

[jv001]

Improve our team defense. 1)From what Coach K said this season, the team let missed shots or poor offensive sets affect the defense. 2) Improve our defensive rebounding. I know these are team goals but each player has to buy into defense. So every player work on defense this summer and learn Duke's defensive scheme. Be ready for day one practice. GoDuke!

[-jk]

Let's hope K does his rehab! I don't want Capel to get the '17 season....

-jk

[jv001]

Let's hope K does his rehab! I don't want Capel to get the '17 season...

-jk

Ah, rehab from knee replacement is tough. The most pain coming from the ROM exercises. You 're tempted to slug your therapist but I'm so glad that I listened to mine. Ready to tee it up now. GoDuke!

[Saratoga2]

Now that we're officially in the offseason for everybody in college basketball, I thought it would be time to start the ever exciting thread of what our guys should be working on in the offseason. Below are my thoughts on the returning players. Caveat #1: I've obviously excluded the incoming freshmen, as we just don't know enough about these guys to say. I think the easiest answer for all of them is to get acclimated with college life and get ready for the dramatic change in speed and strength and quality of the opposition. Caveat #2: This list assumes no further changes to the roster. Obviously we are still recruiting Bolden heavily, indicating that changes may be coming to the roster. Caveat #3: I limited this list to the guys who - if here - I would expect to be competing for rotation minutes. In other words, I haven't included Obi, Vrankovic, or any of the other walk-ons including Robinson.

In alphabetical order:

Allen: Allen took a HUGE step forward last year in playing as the focal point of an offense. I doubt that changes dramatically next year, as he will be the face of the program. For Allen, I think developing a more nuanced ballhandling game will be priority #1. This year, he was dominant in spot-up shots and in essentially straight-line drives. What I'd like to see him work on is diversifying his scoring game to be able to create open shots for himself off the dribble. Allen never really created separation off the dribble. When he drove, it was largely a drive to the rim, and if he didn't get by his man he simply tried to outathlete his man. That worked really well, as he was incredibly efficient for such a high-usage player. But in terms of maximizing his chances of success at the next level and in terms of addressing areas of "weakness" in his game, if he could add a few additional wrinkles to his game (a step-back jumper, a stronger cross-over jumper, a hesitation dribble, etc.) he'll be that much more dominant in college AND that much more likely to succeed at the next level. Some might say that priority #2 would be to develop PG skills. But to be completely honest, I don't think that's a good use of his time and skills. He is a shark on the court, and he should focus on refining his shark-like instincts. Be a predator, not a distributor.

Jefferson: Get healthy, first and foremost. I'm hopeful that he's already achieved this milestone. But if not, that's the next step. After that, work on that mid-range jumper and free-throw shooting. He's clever enough around the basket already. What he hasn't yet done is show that he can be a threat outside of 10 feet. If he can improve his shooting touch to be an adequate midrange guy and a capable free throw shooter, he'll maximize. I won't get carried away in saying for him to learn a 3pt shot. That's just too pie-in-the-sky. But if he can be credible from 15 feet, he can create that much more space for our guards to drive and he can be that much more dangerous on pump fakes and dives to the rim.

Jeter: Strength and understanding of positioning are first and foremost. Learn where to be defensively to protect the rim. Learn where to be defensively to get rebounds. Learn where to be offensively to be an outlet for easy layups, and learn to be ready for those opportunities. But mostly, get stronger and more able to handle yourself inside at the college level.

Jones: Get your ankles healthy. After that, keep polishing your defensive skills and that catch-and-shoot 3pt shot. I think Jones is a perfect fit along side all of our ball-dominant wings as a '3 and D' option who doesn't need the ball in his hands. If he can be a lock-down defender as our primary wing defender and serve as a floor spacer for our ball handlers, that's a great fit. So focus on becoming the best '3 and D' guy possible.

Kennard: Figure out what happened to your 3pt shot this year. Basically, if you could meld the strengths of Kennard with the strengths of Allen, you'd have the greatest scoring weapon ever. Kennard has the nuanced offensive game but didn't have the 3pt shot falling this year, while Allen had the 3 ball and athletic prowess but didn't have the nuanced skill set to fully maximize his athletic gifts. I don't think Kennard is going to suddenly become a great athlete, but if he can harness the 3pt shot that he had in high school, the sky is the limit for him in college.

Thornton: Work on your floor game. The athleticism, dribbling skill, and defensive instincts were all there this year. But the court awareness, decision making, and overall PG skill set was not. Thornton looked like a kid who was used to dominating less athletic, less big, and less skilled opponents as is not uncommon for a freshman. He has a lot of work to do to manage a game as a PG. Just getting a better understanding of the game and how to play the position is the biggest thing. Priority #2: develop a better perimeter shot. That will go a long way towards helping in other areas.


Excellent breakdown. I do think Matt may be best guarding the 3 position as he has reasonable size for that and his lack of quickness may be less noticeable on many small forwards. We have so much talent at PG/SG he might be better preparing himself to contribute in that way.

Luke needs to change his hairstyle so he doesn't constantly put his hands on his head. All joking aside, I have made suggestions about how to improve his 3 point shot through using a higher arc. The angle of incidence with the basket is more forgiving. Probably the best way is to get better is to get a good shooting coach and concentrate on that one thing. Just a 10% increase in hit rate would make him a good threat from 3 .

[duke4ever19]

Dear Duke Men's Basketball Team,

Here is my homework assignment for you:

1) Follow everything the Duke coaching staff tells you to do for your summer bball/workout regimen.

2) Have fun this summer.

3) Come visit me up here in Philly and I'll show you that I've still got game.

[devildeac]

Dear Duke Men's Basketball Team,

Here is my homework assignment for you:

1) Follow everything the Duke coaching staff tells you to do for your summer bball/workout regimen.

2) Have fun this summer.

3) Come visit me up here in Philly and I'll show you that I've still got game.

Philly? I'll come visit but my biggest concern would be if you still got cheesesteaks...

(or pork sammiches)

[Kedsy]

If we want to win the title, we can't be hovering in that 50-100 KenPom ranking range.

Well, we can, in 2015 we went into the NCAA tournament ranked #57 defensively by KenPom.


Come visit me up here in Philly and I'll show you that I've still got game.

I live in the Phila area and play 7 days a week. If you need a game, PM me and I'll hook you up.