Originally Posted by
scottdude8
For those who may be interested (and want to add their own two cents!), my major takeaways from watching the two games in Mississauga from (basically, haha) courtside, and the game in Montreal from my couch in Montreal (on TSN, no ESPN+ hassle!):
1) Zion is capable of single-handedly saving us in some "trap" games this year. I don't think I need to recap what everyone else has said about Zion, but know that it's even more impressive in person. My biggest takeaway has been this: there will be teams that simply won't be able to matchup with his unique skillset this year. Some of those teams are going to be the type of teams that have, in the past couple of seasons, handed us losses in the so-called "trap" games (i.e. on the road, short-rest, after/before bigger games, etc.). I think this dynamic will be responsible for at least one additional win this year compared to the recent one-and-done era, if not more. Those "trap" losses have arguably cost us No. 1 seeds in the past few years, so those extra wins could be huge.
2) We have the potential to be a great defensive team. This has gotten lost in the shuffle considering these games have largely amounted to scrimmages/dunk contests. But I saw multiple possessions in Mississauga where Duke played great team D, including some really nice help rotations and hustle (especially from the vets). I also loved that K had them play the 2-3 for a little bit, which shows me that this is something the team will be more prepared to play at stretches this year (as opposed to having to implement it mid-season like last season). The fact that Barrett and Williamson showed defensive intensity was also extremely encouraging. I think this team has the potential to be the best defensive team we've had in the recent one-and-done era. Admittedly that isn't a huge honor, haha, but the improvement should be noticeable.
3) Javin looks like he'll get starter's minutes even if he doesn't start. I imagine we'll have games where Javin starts, games where AOC (or maybe Jack) start and we play a smaller lineup, and games where Bolden (or maybe Vrank) start for a more traditional center. But I imagine Javin will get 20-30 minutes a game regardless. His defense and ability to guard multiple positions was even more apparent during this trip, and his offensive games seems to have matured as well. He seemed much more confident with the ball in his hands around the basket during the trip, and even showed some mid-range game. Lots of people have discussed Bolden a the "x-factor" for this team... I think it could end up being if Javin fully develops into a Lance Thomas/Amile Jefferson hybrid we've been fantasizing about.
4) Jack looks ready to contribute, as does (to a slightly lesser extent) Vrank. I was super impressed by the confidence Jack displayed this trip. If there was a silver lining to AOC's injury it was the increased playing time Jack got in Canada, which I think could pay dividends in his development. The Aussie was confident rotating the ball around the perimeter and taking the open three when it came to him, and he also really contributed defensively and on the glass with some hustle plays. I think he could answer a lot of questions about our team's depth if he continues on this track. Vrank, as was discussed in some of the front page articles here, has also looked like a different player. He's never going to be Brian Zoubek-light like I had hoped, but he's fully capable of providing 5-10 minutes off the bench in ACC play (and, more importantly, use his 5 fouls without being a liability). That could be big, especially with Marques Bolden being one of the few disappointments from the trip. Which leads me to my final point...
5) What's up with Marques Bolden is going to continue to be a nagging storyline. It was extremely telling to me that K chose not to start Marques today, and barely played him (if at all) in the second half against U of T. It's obviously not ideal to be a true center playing against teams that don't have one in a game that's up-and-down, but Vrank was able to contribute positively while Marques did very little... and, perhaps more importantly, I saw multiple defensive possessions where he didn't seem engaged in Mississauga. The best version of this Duke team includes Marques living up to his potential in the paint, but he still has a lot of questions to answer after this trip.
A few smaller points:
—Joey Baker (or, as my wife has dubbed him, "Baby Grayson) showed serious potential, but I don't think he's ready for prime time yet. I don't think he'd provide much more than a solid corner shooter at this point. Unless AOC's injury is more serious than initially thought I imagine he'll redshirt.
—R.J. Barrett is as advertised, but he's gotta improve his shot. I imagine that'll happen with consistent practice time.
—You could really see the fact that we were missing our primary ballhandler even though R.J. and Zion showed some fantastic passing. Tre could make R.J. and Zion better, which is scary.
—I think Justin Robinson will see legit playing time in a few ACC contests this year, and could conceivably be a rotation player next year if he continues to improve (and, more importantly, gain confidence).
—This is going to be a fun year.