2023 Transfer Portal

[DeBlueDevil]

Yea, I was looking for that correlation.

There has to be something of substance as to why Scheyer was actively seeking a 5 in the portal, IMO. Was it just luxury? Was it because he doesnt expect Reeves to be a contributor this season and needs more progression? Was it to take pressure off some of the incoming freshmen and allowing them to progress at their own speed? I know these are more rhetorical, but there certainly has to be a reason he was seeking one.

But your point is...there was a reason.

I disagree that it was out of luxury. But again, I'll defer to the larger group.

[JasonEvans]

But your point is...there was a reason.

I disagree that it was out of luxury. But again, I'll defer to the larger group.

To be clear, I wanted Duke to get a portal big. I was super excited about Udeh and Shedrick. Heck, I wanted Duke to go after Aziz Bandego. I think Scheyer was hoping to get some rim protection, but it didn't work out. I don't think anyone here has said Duke is better off without getting that shot blocker in the middle.

What we are saying is that this can still be a very special team -- a team that is quite good on D -- even without a shot blocker.

[KKDL19]

I also agree it was not luxury. Every coach builds their team out of necessities after examining the strength of the team/players a well as looking for areas to improve. There should be no shock that this team does not have a shot blocker/rim protector, so it is prudent of Scheyer to pursue this in the portal.

If it were me, I would continue to evaluate those players in the portal as well as keep a close ear on who might also become available.

[bshrader]

To be clear, I wanted Duke to get a portal big. I was super excited about Udeh and Shedrick. Heck, I wanted Duke to go after Aziz Bandego. I think Scheyer was hoping to get some rim protection, but it didn't work out. I don't think anyone here has said Duke is better off without getting that shot blocker in the middle.

What we are saying is that this can still be a very special team -- a team that is quite good on D -- even without a shot blocker.

I was super excited at the possibility of landing Shedrick. I thought he would have been a perfect fit for the scheme and a perfect compliment to Flip. But I understand he didnt want to take a "diminished" offensive role.

I am in total agreeance that this team can still be special. I am hopeful this team can be good on D. I'm not quite 100% sold on that prospect just yet.

[CDu]

To be clear, I wanted Duke to get a portal big. I was super excited about Udeh and Shedrick. Heck, I wanted Duke to go after Aziz Bandego. I think Scheyer was hoping to get some rim protection, but it didn't work out. I don't think anyone here has said Duke is better off without getting that shot blocker in the middle.

What we are saying is that this can still be a very special team -- a team that is quite good on D -- even without a shot blocker.

Yes, 100% this (except maybe for Bandaogo, who I don't have an opinion about one way or the other). I absolutely would have loved getting Shedrick. And I would have been intrigued and excited about Udeh, even if I'm not sure how impactful he'll be next season. But not getting either doesn't mean this team can't/won't be elite next season. It just means the team will most likely be different (with the extremely remote possibility that Reeves makes a big jump in role next year).

[Dr. Maturin]

In 2015, Duke had the 11th best defense in college basketball. They did that with the 192nd best shot block rate.
In 2010, Duke's defense was 5th best in the land... that team blocked shots at the 131st best rate.
In 2008, we were 7th on D and 164th in block percentage.
In 2002, Duke was #1... the best defense in all of college basketball. That team was 215th in block percentage.

As CDu has been preaching, blocking shots and playing good D do not always go hand in hand.

Good stuff here. Tactics often come down to trade offs. It's hard to be good at everything. Duke played big lineups the last two years and blocked a lot of shots... however, we were really, really bad at forcing turnovers both years. Historically bad for a program whose ability to force turnovers was once a calling card.

Duke will block fewer shots in 23-24, but I am excited about the possibility of forcing more turnovers. A 3-guard lineup with Mitchell and Flip in the frontcourt would have more speed than the average Duke lineup of the last two years. And if you switch out one of those guards for Sean Stewart, we have the length to match up with just about anybody, plus several rangy athletes that can guard multiple positions.

It's really fun to watch Jon Scheyer grow on the job. I was impressed with some of the tweaks he made to the defense last year- Duke did things that K's teams usually resisted, like sometimes doubling the post and pinching in against non-shooters. It mostly worked, to the tune of the #16 defense in KenPom. Jon was able to channel elite size into really solid defensive rebounding - something K's team wasn't able to do in 2022. This coming year presents unique challenges for Jon. There's plenty of defense talent, but it will have to be deployed differently than last year. I'm going to be patient, but I have reasonably high hopes for the defense.

[gep]

And... Jai Lucas is the "defensive coordinator". That should help

[brevity]

Going back to the topic of the transfer portal, a handful of anywhere-but-here players who entered the draft AND the portal decided that they were done testing the waters, and are now looking for a destination school. Two have moved quickly.

Tyrin Lawrence (13.1 pts/4.4 reb/1.7 ast in 2022-2023) decided to withdraw from the draft and the portal, and is now returning to Vanderbilt, the one SEC school that's having a worse portal season than Kentucky.

MAC Player of the Year RayJ Dennis (19.6/4.3/5.8 at Toledo) flirted with the NBA, then Illinois, Michigan, and Utah, but ultimately decided to transfer to Baylor.

This leaves, by my count, 7 players who have withdrawn from the draft but have not committed to where they will return, with notes based on the links provided.

Arthur Kaluma (11.8/6.0/1.6 at Creighton)
-- Alabama, Kentucky, Texas, and Texas Tech are among the interested

Isaiah Miranda (DNP at NC State)
-- visiting Oklahoma State soon and considering Florida State, Georgetown, UCF, and Villanova

Grant Nelson (17.9/9.3/2.1 at North Dakota State)
-- no shortlist yet

Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8/5.0/2.0 at Tennessee)
-- Baylor, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan, and West Virginia are among the interested

Zyon Pullin (18.3/4.4/4.2 at UC Riverside)
-- finalists are Florida, Gonzaga, LSU, Michigan, and Xavier

Antonio Reeves (14.4/2.1/1.1 at Kentucky)
-- could return to Kentucky for COVID year, or could enter portal as a grad transfer

Mike Sharavjamts (5.6/1.9/2.6 at Dayton)
-- finalists are Indiana, Memphis, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco

[brlftz]

To be clear, I wanted Duke to get a portal big. I was super excited about Udeh and Shedrick. Heck, I wanted Duke to go after Aziz Bandego. I think Scheyer was hoping to get some rim protection, but it didn't work out. I don't think anyone here has said Duke is better off without getting that shot blocker in the middle.

What we are saying is that this can still be a very special team -- a team that is quite good on D -- even without a shot blocker.

My only small quibble here is that it's too early to say that Reeves can't be that shot blocker. He's obviously not Lively but he's still big and seems reasonably athletic. There's potential. I understand that we shouldn't expect that, and clearly Scheyer wasn't planning on it, but it could happen.

[Nugget]

While Arizona did land Love out of the portal, it looks like both Arizona and UCLA are pretty committed to re-loading more with international players than with collegiate portal players. Will be interested to see how it plays out for them.

[JasonEvans]

Going back to the topic of the transfer portal, a handful of anywhere-but-here players who entered the draft AND the portal decided that they were done testing the waters, and are now looking for a destination school. Two have moved quickly.

Tyrin Lawrence (13.1 pts/4.4 reb/1.7 ast in 2022-2023) decided to withdraw from the draft and the portal, and is now returning to Vanderbilt, the one SEC school that's having a worse portal season than Kentucky.

MAC Player of the Year RayJ Dennis (19.6/4.3/5.8 at Toledo) flirted with the NBA, then Illinois, Michigan, and Utah, but ultimately decided to transfer to Baylor.

This leaves, by my count, 7 players who have withdrawn from the draft but have not committed to where they will return, with notes based on the links provided.

Arthur Kaluma (11.8/6.0/1.6 at Creighton)
-- Alabama, Kentucky, Texas, and Texas Tech are among the interested

Isaiah Miranda (DNP at NC State)
-- visiting Oklahoma State soon and considering Florida State, Georgetown, UCF, and Villanova

Grant Nelson (17.9/9.3/2.1 at North Dakota State)
-- no shortlist yet

Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8/5.0/2.0 at Tennessee)
-- Baylor, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan, and West Virginia are among the interested

Zyon Pullin (18.3/4.4/4.2 at UC Riverside)
-- finalists are Florida, Gonzaga, LSU, Michigan, and Xavier

Antonio Reeves (14.4/2.1/1.1 at Kentucky)
-- could return to Kentucky for COVID year, or could enter portal as a grad transfer

Mike Sharavjamts (5.6/1.9/2.6 at Dayton)
-- finalists are Indiana, Memphis, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco

Great list and info, Brevity.

I strongly suspect we will see Kentucky get involved in a number of portal players over the next few weeks. Though they have outstanding freshmen coming in, the Wildcats need bodies to merely practice at this point and likely have significant roles available to the right players. I don't really see any PF on their roster and while they could just play 4 guard/wings around Aaron Bradshaw, I could see someone like Grant Nelson or Arthur Kaluma really fitting in nicely in Lexington.

[cato]

We all remember the 2015 Duke team finding their identity defensively going to zone.

That is how they found their ability to play defense together as a team, but zone was not their defensive identity. By the time of the tourney run, they were back to a switching man to man, lead by Justise Winslow playing the 4.

I will never forget Grant losing himself a bit during the NC game and calling Winslow the best defender to play at Duke. Hill was obviously a great defender in his own right, but I still imaging Billy King and Shane Battier making mental notes about how they were going to get back at Grant for knocking them down a notch in the Duke pantheon.

[bluedevilwildcats]

Great list and info, Brevity.

I strongly suspect we will see Kentucky get involved in a number of portal players over the next few weeks. Though they have outstanding freshmen coming in, the Wildcats need bodies to merely practice at this point and likely have significant roles available to the right players. I don't really see any PF on their roster and while they could just play 4 guard/wings around Aaron Bradshaw, I could see someone like Grant Nelson or Arthur Kaluma really fitting in nicely in Lexington.

According the Rupp denizens, Cal has promised Bradshaw that he will play the 4 and shoot 3s. I've heard that Bradshaw is saying the same thing, but I don't do Insta: https://youtu.be/krBLgDtRVQQ?t=221

I think UK has a greater than nominal chance of being a dumpster fire next year, if they don't get some high-quality transfers / reclassifications, if they have their typical spate of injuries, and have the random player save themself for the draft.

[cato]

I also agree it was not luxury. Every coach builds their team out of necessities after examining the strength of the team/players a well as looking for areas to improve. There should be no shock that this team does not have a shot blocker/rim protector, so it is prudent of Scheyer to pursue this in the portal.

If it were me, I would continue to evaluate those players in the portal as well as keep a close ear on who might also become available.

I don’t even know that that means. Disagree that it was not a luxury all you want, but clearly the staff only looked at a handful of candidates, none of which panned out. Barring some last minute grad transfer, this team is set.

People should keep in mind that transfers to Duke rarely get meaningful rotation minutes immediately after arriving at Duke. It really takes the perfect fit for a talented player that would add meaningful minutes to the team to also be interested in the role that would likely be available (top 6/7 at best).

If “luxury” means “nice to have, but not necessary” then adding a 5 via the portal was indeed a luxury. Otherwise, Jon would have gotten somebody.

One thing that strikes me: people who are anxious about not adding a 5 are concerned that the rotation is fatally compromised with Ryan Young. And yet Ryan Young is the perfect example of a necessary portal addition. Can you image where this team would have been last year or going into next year without him? He was very much not a luxury. The guy who folks want to pencil in front of him in the rotation is the luxury.

[Billy Dat]

Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8/5.0/2.0 at Tennessee)
-- Baylor, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan, and West Virginia are among the interested

I'd love Duke to get a shot at avenging this year's NCAA loss. Go to Baylor, Olivier, and Mark Mitchell will see you at MSG on 12/20!!!!

[heyman25]

Reeves is at K academy with frosh I would think if Reeves works hard he could have an upside surprise. Jefferson 1 on 1.coaching could make him a factor by November. 15 to 20 minutes. Matchup with big men and avoid fouls for Flip. Young will be valuable and Stewart can play the 5 if necessary.

[bshrader]

Reeves is at K academy with frosh I would think if Reeves works hard he could have an upside surprise. Jefferson 1 on 1.coaching could make him a factor by November. 15 to 20 minutes. Matchup with big men and avoid fouls for Flip. Young will be valuable and Stewart can play the 5 if necessary.

If Reeves plays 15-20, I'll be incredibly surprised.

[accfanfrom1970]

If Reeves plays 15-20, I'll be incredibly surprised.

I won’t be, frosh to soph jump. Plus a year under Derek and Ryan. Hopefully healthy. All summer to work with Amile. Not surprised,expected.

[bshrader]

I won’t be, frosh to soph jump. Plus a year under Derek and Ryan. Hopefully healthy. All summer to work with Amile. Not surprised,expected.

I have to believe if Scheyer and staff truly expected Reeves would contribute that many minutes this season, they wouldn't have sought a 5 in the portal at all.

[DeBlueDevil]

I don’t even know that that means. Disagree that it was not a luxury all you want, but clearly the staff only looked at a handful of candidates, none of which panned out. Barring some last minute grad transfer, this team is set.

People should keep in mind that transfers to Duke rarely get meaningful rotation minutes immediately after arriving at Duke. It really takes the perfect fit for a talented player that would add meaningful minutes to the team to also be interested in the role that would likely be available (top 6/7 at best).

If “luxury” means “nice to have, but not necessary” then adding a 5 via the portal was indeed a luxury. Otherwise, Jon would have gotten somebody.

One thing that strikes me: people who are anxious about not adding a 5 are concerned that the rotation is fatally compromised with Ryan Young. And yet Ryan Young is the perfect example of a necessary portal addition. Can you image where this team would have been last year or going into next year without him? He was very much not a luxury. The guy who folks want to pencil in front of him in the rotation is the luxury.

Because Ryan Young alone is indeed not good enough. Agreed we’d be much worse off but you act as if he’s been a non negotiable starter. He’s played valuable minutes but he alone with Flip at 5 is not enough depth IMO. Maybe Reeves could surpass Young. But Young is what he is at best…servicable.

I think much of the debate has been splitting hairs about what some feel is a need vs luxury. All in all most of us are saying the same thing. We all feel this team still has the potential to be special but there is a potential weakness at the 5. All good.