Duke has had a lot of players who have either gone pro or left for other reasons who could be on this current Duke team. If you could pick one of those players to add to the current Duke squad for this tourney run- who would it be. My initial thought was to pick Kennard as he would give excellent outside and FT shooting- but his defense is not quite at the same level. Frank Jackson was another thought as he brings a lot to the table. But this team could use size. Carter perhaps- but Bagley was pretty amazing. Would either limit Zion or RJ's ability to get to the hoop? There is also Tatum who is a gamer and brings an all around game. I settled on Ingram who could hit from deep and whose length made him a tough matchup. A lot of talent to choose from- but not sure who would be the best fit on short notice. Thoughts?
Off the top of my head - Carter. He can guard the rim, block shots and rebound, and knock down the 3 with decent accuracy. Not sure what would happen to team chemistry with Tatum - great talent, but he always seemed like a black hole to me. Rumors of tension with Kennard - I could see he and RJ having...issues, perhaps.
Was Trent a decent defender? I don't recall. If so, then maybe.
2015: Quinn.
2016: Grayson
2017: Frank
2018: Wendell.
I think Gary Trent, Jr would have fit in nicely
Tatum.
We just won the ACC Championship and are probably going to receive the overall #1 seed this afternoon.
I am not in a place to fantasize about alternate versions of this amazing group. Still on cloud nine from last night.
Last night, I was thinking Bagley. I'll stick with him, but there have been so many wonderful players in the last four years, it's hard to go wrong.
Ingram was fantastic at the end of the season and would help more inside. Tatum would be my choice when you add defense.
Use the force Luke. A no brainer, LK raining threes
Without question it’s Luke Kennard.
Who was our best three point shooter when everything was on the line over that period?
-jk
My exact concern plus his ability to get his shot off against athletic defenders. He will have the advantage of being the 3rd option but would be the only guy the defense keys on shooting 3s. I’d rather have a guy who plays defense and can pump fake then drive like Tatum.
I'm actually going with Matt Jones here. This team wouldn't benefit as much from another guy who needs the ball in his hands to be effective (Tatum, Kennard, etc.) All 4 of the freshmen starters are already guys who need to have the ball on offense. Adding another scorer basically makes Cam obsolete. You'd be asking him to just play defense and stand in the corner on offense.
What it desperately needs is a guy who never needs the ball, who can reliably knock down shots to space the floor, and play great defense on multiple positions. Quinn Cook or Justise Winslow could also work, but those guys need the ball a bit more than Matt. Matt is the ideal role player to fit in with Zion, RJ, Tre, and Cam.
If we go a little further back, no question, the PERFECT guy would be Shane Battier.
Last edited by kAzE; 03-17-2019 at 04:46 PM.
Grayson Allen or Tyus Jones. Both can shoot 3s, drive to the basket, and find open teammates.
The Rock was famous for his various catch phrases in the WWE and one of his most popular was, "Know your damn role." I'd say we've got some clearly defined roles on this year's team and the chemistry appears to be exceptional, despite the presence of four highly ranked freshman.
If we were to pick-up a fantasy player, what's his role and who does he replace?
This team is clearly built around our ability to play M2M defense. Carter? More pop from the post, but can he switch like as well as Bolden? Tatum? A really nice player, but one Alpha Dog in RJ is enough for me. Luke? As others have pointed out the kid wasn't known for his defensive chops.
I'll go with a player who nobody has mentioned yet and that's Justise Winslow. A kid who came to Duke with the rep of being a defensive stud, but showed us he could do it all.