Derek Lively 7-1 220
Christian Reeves 7-0
Kyle Flipowski 6-11 230
Mark Mitchel 6-9 220
Keenan Worthington 6-9 220
Joey Baker 6-6 205
Dariq Whitehead 6-6 190
Jaden Schutt 6-5 180
Jaylen Blakes 6-3 190
Jeremy Roach 6-1 172
I expect our top scorers to be one of Kyle, Derek, or Mark,
Then Dariq and Jeremy.
There is a high chance we have 4 high scoring players, and perhaps 5 if one of Derek or Jaden absolutely blows up.
The ideal starting lineup for us to end the season would be Derek, Kyle, Mark, Dariq, and Jeremy. Will probably have to resort to zone.
We should have a 7 man lineup (Joey, and Jaden off the bench), perhaps 8 depending on how improved Blake is.
If Derek, Kyle, Mark, and Dariq are all Paolo level studs then I did say we're more than fine. It's not impossible for that to happen, by all accounts, except for ESPN, the four are all top 10 players in HS.
Last edited by proelitedota; 04-24-2022 at 12:44 PM.
Well, we can certainly hope they are all Paolo level studs, but that seems pretty unlikely--and even Paolo, who came in to college described as already having NBA-level moves, took a while to really show his best on the court. But yes, I agree that if they do, we are more than fine.
2023 is shaping to be better than 2021 for sure with more incoming talent, but it feels like our ceiling will not be as high as 2022. The incoming class rankings are solid, but I don’t see a Paolo or AJ in this class. But that’s why they play the game. Maybe Whitehead is a dynamic scorer. Maybe Mitchell is better than advertised. Maybe Roach makes a jump like Tre did from year 1 to 2. Maybe we land an elite shooter in the portal.
A number of question marks that are yet to be answered. Another young team with upside. Who besides Jeremy will be a leader? Who will take the last shot? How will we do on defense?
I need to see a lot of offball movement next year and some high pnr with JR and DL
Look around the nation. UNC seems like they'll return a lot. But their season still hinges on Love, and Manek's loss could prove devastating in the end.
Who else? UK has a few big returnees, but lots of question marks, both more and bigger than Duke's, across their roster.
Ark has recruited well, but it all depends on their C returning. If he doesn't, they are weak in side, and could have some chemistry/fit problems.
Nova loses players and a coach.
UCLA wasn't that great and still lost some guys, but brings in a few.
Are we world beaters? Nope. But the rest of the nation ain't so great. We don't have to be great, just better than everyone else. And I think we will be.
I am not worried about offense. And I think the D next year will be better than last year.
With five guys gone, Jeremy Roach will have to be the captain, floor general, glue guy, and coach on the floor. Fortunately, based on his play in the postseason, I think he’s ready.
Defense is absolutely going to be a struggle for this team. It’s so very young and will likely get killed on ball screens and movement off the ball. It’s just way too young of a group with zero familiarity with each other to have any confidence of being strong on D. I’m hoping Scheyer goes with a very different philosophy than K in this regard. Maybe look for a lot more zone.
The offense could be interesting. Jeremy is now in a position of floor general which he really hasn’t had to be in the past. How will he adapt? Will if affect his shooting pct? Can he actually run an offense instead of playing off the ball? Flip could be a guy that is a huge asset on O due to his size and ball handling ability, but a huge liability on D. How much of a perimeter load will Dariq have to shoulder? Can Mitchell actually fill in as a wing? If so then it adds some depth. Otherwise we just don’t have much on the perimeter.
Way too many big questions about this team to even assume they’ll be in the tournament.
I disagree. I think Flip will be great on O (for a frosh) and very good on the boards. We'll hide him on D vs whoever the other team's least mobile big is. Lively can probably guard a lot of taller SFs, so opposing bigs won't be a problem.
As great as Mark was in the paint and around the rim (and he was great), he couldn't switch onto anyone but a big. And if the other big could step out, Mark's effectiveness on D plummeted. But a lot of great NBA bigs are just like that. Lively is far more mobile than Mark was. Lively can step out, and still help defend the paint.
And what Flip lacks in quickness I think he makes up for in nastiness and strength.
Roach will be fine on D, as will Dariq, who is apparently a very willing and able defender. He's closer to AJ in size, but is more like Moore. Only taller and more athletic than Moore. But Moore was an upperclassmen and great defender. DW will be far closer to Moore than AJ, or probably even Keels.
A lot of next year hinges on the other wing spot at Duke. I expect that spot to be filled, somehow, but MM might be able to handle it.
Ha - not in the tournament. Based on rankings this class matches Zion’s as the best in Duke history. And we have a stud returning junior PG.
I know people are down about Keels and Moore not returning but come on. We are young but we are loaded. I predict either Baker or Schutt will surprise with upside.
And Coach J will be adding 1-2 rotation players via transfer.
I guess it’s just in some people’s nature to down talk a team pre-season. Me, I’ll take our roster over anyone’s including UNC.