So! The Duke Blue Devils of this year are, in some ways, similar to the last few teams, in that the team will be depending largely on unproven freshmen to carry the load. No idea what to expect... would have to imagine there will be some "bad" losses in there as the team grows, especially since Cam and Tre have been largely sidelined with injuries.
RJ Barrett is the biggest get in the group. A Canadian superstar with a fantastic bloodline and connection to Canadian basketball (dad is the assistant GM for Canadian Basketball, and Steve Nash, the GM, is his godfather), Barrett has been playing with top level talent for years. He is an excellent and prolific scorer, with a smoothness with the basketball and length that lets him get past defenders and finish at the rim, even through contact; he is excellent at drawing fouls, and a perfect attacker with only a few seconds left on the clock. He is still working on expanding his range, although is expected to be a decent enough shooter from three (although he may not get there until he makes the NBA.) He is a willing passer, and an excellent defender as well, with high IQ. You could almost compare him a bit to Andrew Wiggins, although more highly polished and maybe a better shooter.
Cam Reddish is a kid who has huge potential, and his skill level is off the charts. Probably the best shooter of the four big name freshmen. He is also really tall and long (this will be a recurring theme with this Duke team, which is absolutely huge). The biggest issue has been some have questioned his motor/will to win. Two reasons this might not be an issue. First, he has publicly said that is BS; Cam says he is just introverted, and it has nothing to do with desire, but people have a hard time seeing that. Second, he won't be expected to be the alpha dog on a team with RJ and Zion on it, so it might suit him well.
Zion is obviously well-known for his athleticism and huge social media following. But people didn't really expect was his fantastic body control, especially around the hoop; there is a subtlety to his game that you have to see to appreciate. He is also a willing passer, and his shooting looks *good enough* so far... he is INCREDIBLY efficient as a scorer, although we'll see what his three point shooting ends up being... he was 3 of 4 from three in the first game of the Canada trip, but then 0-fer on the next two... such a limited data set (only 9 shots) doesn't give us enough to work with.
Tre Jones comes in known as the younger brother of Tyus Jones. He is a bit more athletic than Tyus; we'll see if he has the same IQ. Already the guys on the team seem to look to him for leadership, which isn't unexpected. He is a good slasher and scorer, and an equally good distributor, and a capable defender. His three point shooting isn't a strength yet. On a team where he will be maybe the fifth scoring option, his distribution is far more important than his scoring, but if he can develop a knack for the big moments like Tyus, that would be amazing.
Joey Baker is the last freshman, and one that isn't as heralded, especially since he comes to Duke having reclassified. Baker is quite tall, has an excellent feel for the game, and an excellent shooter; many Duke fans think he will actually be able to contribute this year, although realistically that is a lot to ask, what with the other four freshmen ahead of him and then some returning guys like Alex OC, Jack White, and maybe even Justin Robinson ahead of him. I don't think he will redshirt.
As for the returning guys...
Maybe the most important is Alex OC. Far taller than you expect, Alex plays a bit like recent Duke guy Luke Kennard, just without the rebounding (yet.) He is a shifty scorer and dribbler, able to knock down shots from wherever. Probably the best three point shooter on the team. I expect him to be an important part of this team; for all of the athleticism on the team, we are going to need some steady shooters, and AOC should provide that. May start, or may be the first man off the bench.
Javin DeLaurier is like a perfect glue guy. He is not highly skilled, and will not be a main scorer, but will bring a lot of size and grit and hustle. He is always getting to loose balls and tipping passes. At times his enthusiasm works against him as he gets into silly fouls, but his energy is needed, and frankly he can spare a foul or two. His Canada numbers were pretty good; while yes, injuries limited some playing time, he managed to put up some points and pull down some boards, along with contributing some steals and blocks. A bit of a do-it-all jack-of-all-trades, even though he won't be a master of any. I expect him to be one of the first off the bench.
Marques Bolden... *sigh* All of the intangibles. HUGE, an INSANE wingspan, highly ranked in high school, really quick feet... but he hasn't gotten it together. Partly its been because of injury, but he also just seems to be ineffective on the block, his moves still a bit slow and ponderous. He got nearly zero burn in Canada after a rough start. Not sure WHAT to expect from him... reports from practices were that he was doing great, but now...? We will see; Duke has had a few big men who started off slow and turned out great... all three Plumlees, Zoubek, Thomas, Jefferson, etc... fingers crossed Bolden will join them.
I like Jordan Goldwire. Our backup PG behind Tre, Jordan is solidly built. He can pass, he can defend, and he can even shoot a bit. Most importantly for a backup PG, he is steady and plays within himself. He rarely tries to take over or make himself the center of attention, although he can hit the timely set three pointer. Perfect backup for a team with such firepower.
Jack White is a guy who has become a bit of a summer practice legend, sort of like Marty Pocius or Nick Horvath. He is a big dude... 6'7, 235... older... very athletic, and experienced; he played for Australias various national teams. He has a lot of energy, and is a capable rebounder. What is starting to come together for him is his shooting; he has a rep of being a great shooter who just couldn't do it ingame (check out the summer story of him from this past summer... in the background of a video filmed this summer, you could see that he held the record for both free throws (40 of 40) and three point shooting (124 of 140).) He started to show this a bit in the Canadian exhibition. But will it translate to the regular season? Fingers crossed he will be a capable wing to put out there with a few of the freshmen, to bring a bit of a "dirty work" type of player who can also can some deep shots.
Justin Robinson, son of the Admiral, is an interesting case. Like Dad, he has grown quite a bit in college, and now stands at a skinny 6'10. UNLIKE Dad, he is not an inside guy; instead, he prefers to take his flat-footed shot from outside. The guys seem to have faith in him, as during the Canada trip (and even last year) he got some passes and shot away like he has the green light. I don't expect him to contribute a ton this year, but who knows, he could surprise.
Antonio Vrankovic is a guy who came in as a very low rated recruit, despite Dad being a pro. He is an absolute mountain, but has a shorter wingspan and isn't terribly athletic. That said, he is willing and able, and is HUGE... he actually seemed to beat Bolden out for minutes in Canada, which NOBODY anticipated. He doesn't have great touch, but might be able to give some decent minutes at the five as a big banging body who can give up some fouls.
I think that is everyone?
@lurkeraspect84 hope that satisfies your desire to know more about the 2018-19 Duke Blue Devils!
