Most of Zoubek's leap came in simply being healthy.
Yeah, let's see Javin and Vrank earn and play well in 5-10 mpg this season before we start counting on them for anything next season.
The center position for 2018-19 is a legitimate concern as of right now but there are many ways it can be resolved. In order of likelihood (my gut feeling):
1. A Reclass from 2019. Seriously. I have a feeling this tactic will continue to be used by Duke and may explode in popularity around college basketball generally. It would be something we set the trend on, I believe, keeping in mind we started with Andre Dawkins in 2009.
2. junior-year Bolden
3. grad transfer
4. emergence of a new 2018 recruit
5. Vrank or Javin being a capable starter at center
If Vrank doesn't develop, Javin wouldn't be the worst option at center. He has a similar (6'9, 7' wingspan) size, but is a good bit heavier and likely stronger than Amile was at the same point in development. He is clearly more athletic. Of course you can't compare his leadership/intangibles to Amile but he wouldn't be a stretch to think he could be a useful player. He is a top 40-50 rank guy from a strong recruiting class. Unless bol bol somehow decides he wants to play for us, he'd be a better center option as a junior than almost anyone from the 18 class.
Sure, I think Javin could be useful even this season coming off the bench. But realistically, I don't think he's someone you want to see starting at center if you're trying to be a top-5 team in the country. I would say the same about Amile.
But like I said, there are many ways for Duke to find that starting center, so I'm not going to stress out about the 2018-19 team just yet. Now is the time to dream about the 2017-18 team and how awesome it's going to be :-)
Also your list should include our current 2018 recruiting target bigs, right? David McCormack, Emmitt Williams, or Zion Williamson inside could form a pretty good team with Stones, Garland, Barrett, and Reddish if we were that fortunate. They would be sick, and I'd LOVE to watch that team. I'm not sure what number order of likelihood that possibility would be on your list, but it should be on there, right?
While I agree those group of players are a sick recruiting class, I don't know how I'd feel about watching that specific group as a starting 5. Without this devolving into a discussion on OAD v. experience, yada yada yada, I'm still not quite ready to watch us field a starting five of 5 freshmen.
Yeah, I agree. It feels like a lot of the board members are overstating the possibility that McCormack, in particular, could just plug in and play from day 1 in the frontcourt. He is not a Jahlil Okafor-level recruit. In fact, I think it's far more likely that Bolden, Carter, or even both are on this team in 2018-19 than McCormack at this point, however unlikely that is. And even if Duke lands McCormack, his contributions will be more important in his sophomore years and beyond.
For some reason, every time I see a player of ours have interests outside of basketball, such as Carter's affinity for education and other extracurriculars (hello, a finalist of his was Harvard), I always like to imagine the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they'll stick around for a second year. Then again, I thought that about Jabari, and we see how that turned out. I mean sure, Carter is interested in education and acting. But he's also interested in basketball. So if the NBA comes calling after freshman year, he's all but gone. So yea, while I would absolutely LOVE for Carter to come back a 2nd season, I agree that it's super, super, unlikely.
True, they should be on the list, albeit low on the list. I really don't think EmWill or Zion should be playing center, and I don't think McCormack is going to be someone who's going to play much his freshman year based on recruiting rank, youtube clips, and AAU stats.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Not quite related, but peripheral... What OAD player do you most wish came back for a sophomore campaign? Do we all vote Kyrie?
Interesting (but maybe not very) that the Kansas guy flipped his pick from Duke to Kentucky for R. J. Barrett today. Because Barrett is visiting Duke this weekend. This makes Duke and UK equal on 247 CB at 44% each.
It's a beautiful weekend in Durham, and I'm hoping for some great R. J. Barrett vibes! I think Barrett is going to be one of the great ones, and a sure-fire future NBA All-Star. He's that good.
Incidentally, for those that don't know, #1-ranked 2018 recruit RJ Barrett is officially visiting Duke this weekend. (So if you see someone who looks Canadian walking around campus, make sure to treat him well!)
Rj Barrett Retweeted24 hours ago
@RjBarrett6 enroute to @DukeMBB for the 2nd of his #Final5 visits. #BasketballNeverStops #TheDecision
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?