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For those craving some college basketball in early August

Ohhhhhh. $100 bet? Chance to win your money back.

This one is actually pretty tempting. Dude showed off a lot of Devin Booker type skills in his arsenal. Excellent passer, excellent free throw shooter, elite mid-range game, crafty slasher, elite 3 point shooter, solid, sneaky athlete. Based entirely off of those 4 games, he really did show maybe the most well-rounded offensive arsenal of any guard at UK under Cal. Little bit of everything between post-ups, off the ball movement, deep threes, transition pull-up 3's, fading mid-range jumpers in transition, passing ability. I was very impressed with him. He was much better than I originally anticipated.
 
I am super interested in seeing Zion against other college bigs. He's such a polarizing player and will be all year I bet. He's gonna catch a lot of dudes on put back dunks this year I'd bet.

He’s a really good player and I don’t think he gets enough credit for his motor. Probably struggle on defense like most freshman but if he starts hitting 3’s consistently that’s very bad for any team on their schedule.

That front court though...
 
This one is actually pretty tempting. Dude showed off a lot of Devin Booker type skills in his arsenal. Excellent passer, excellent free throw shooter, elite mid-range game, crafty slasher, elite 3 point shooter, solid, sneaky athlete. Based entirely off of those 4 games, he really did show maybe the most well-rounded offensive arsenal of any guard at UK under Cal. Little bit of everything between post-ups, off the ball movement, deep threes, transition pull-up 3's, fading mid-range jumpers in transition, passing ability. I was very impressed with him. He was much better than I originally anticipated.
I don’t watch exhibition games but you should take the bet.
 
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I don’t watch exhibition games but you should take the bet.

I'm not a gambler. A fool and his money will soon part, I've always heard. I watched Devin Booker (who got his points exclusively on catch and shoot 3's and in transition) get drafted 13th overall, though.
 
One of you Duke honks post a full highlight vid when it comes available, please.

TIA.
 
I'm not a gambler. A fool and his money will soon part, I've always heard. I watched Devin Booker (who got his points exclusively on catch and shoot 3's and in transition) get drafted 13th overall, though.
Agreed. Taking the bet would’ve been pretty foolish on your part.
 
Missed most of the second half but what I did see was Barrett missing everything he threw up including free throws. Probably just a bad game for him but it was tough to watch.
 
Missed most of the second half but what I did see was Barrett missing everything he threw up including free throws. Probably just a bad game for him but it was tough to watch.

Zion having a better shot than Barrett is not what I expected
 
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Agreed. Taking the bet would’ve been pretty foolish on your part.

Excellent retort. I guess in 2018, there's no need for a 6'5 or 6'6 shooting guard that has an incredibly well rounded offensive arsenal, solid athleticism, and is an outstanding shooter from all over the floor.

You're probably right. Those guys aren't very desirable.
 
Zion having a better shot than Barrett is not what I expected

Definitely not a better shot lol. He had a better shooting performance, but I would be stunned if Zion shoots a better J this season as a whole.
 
Excellent retort. I guess in 2018, there's no need for a 6'5 or 6'6 shooting guard that has an incredibly well rounded offensive arsenal, solid athleticism, and is an outstanding shooter from all over the floor.

You're probably right. Those guys aren't very desirable.
I never said he wasn’t desirable. I’m just willing to bet that he’s not a one and done lottery prospect. And you’re not willing to bet that he is. That’s where we are.
 
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The thing about Tyler Herro is he has a better handle than Booker did at UK. He's a legitimate playmaker.

His ability to pull up and hit 3s off the dribble at his height makes him lethal in the PnR. When a little guard got switched onto him in one of those games, he just calmly backed him down and made a high % shot since hes 6'6 and his shot couldnt be contested.

He is fun to watch and theres not a chance theres 30 some better players than him in this freshman class.
 
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How about Zion Williamson?



...Including a massive putback and three of four from three.

RJ forced it a bit. He will be fine.

Alex OC, who would have likely been the first off the bench, out three minutes in as he got hit in the face and got his orbital bone fractured. Out for the rest of the trip. ****ing injuries... it’s always injuries. Starting PG, starting SF, first guard off the bench, all out.

Still, fun to get to see basketball in August!
 
How about Zion Williamson?



...Including a massive putback and three of four from three.

RJ forced it a bit. He will be fine.

Alex OC, who would have likely been the first off the bench, out three minutes in as he got hit in the face and got his orbital bone fractured. Out for the rest of the trip. ****ing injuries... it’s always injuries. Starting PG, starting SF, first guard off the bench, all out.

Still, fun to get to see basketball in August!
Thanks for the highlights. I look forward to watching him this season, even if he did pick the wrong school.
 
But they wont make us much better according to many UK fans lol. We will have chemistry issues with all of our selfish players and they are going to wipe the floor with us !!
 
I have my opinions, but I'm interested in hearing what the Duke folks think about their team so far.
 
But they wont make us much better according to many UK fans lol. We will have chemistry issues with all of our selfish players and they are going to wipe the floor with us !!
Chemistry remains to be seen, but shooting and defense are definitely going to be question marks.
 
I believe we need to see all the pcs in place first . Do you not believe having your pt guard not play in an Aug expedition wasnt the reason for a little discombobulation ? There are a few concerns for me quality depth past the first 7, inexperience, shooting and finding a consistent inside presence. I believe the elite talent up top will make up for some of these issues but like i said need to see ALL the pcs first. By the way i think you guys looked really solid in the Bahamas and are going to be a very tough out ! cant wait until Nov 6th
 
I believe we need to see all the pcs in place first . Do you not believe having your pt guard not play in an Aug expedition wasnt the reason for a little discombobulation ? There are a few concerns for me quality depth past the first 7, inexperience, shooting and finding a consistent inside presence. I believe the elite talent up top will make up for some of these issues but like i said need to see ALL the pcs first. By the way i think you guys looked really solid in the Bahamas and are going to be a very tough out ! cant wait until Nov 6th
I'm not looking forward to November 6th with all of the injuries Duke has and the fact that Goldwire might be starting point guard. Our best 3 point shooter just broke his face, outside shooting will be a big concern on top of no time for the team to develop chemistry. I'm not optimistic about our chances against UK right now.
 
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I believe we need to see all the pcs in place first . Do you not believe having your pt guard not play in an Aug expedition wasnt the reason for a little discombobulation ? There are a few concerns for me quality depth past the first 7, inexperience, shooting and finding a consistent inside presence. I believe the elite talent up top will make up for some of these issues but like i said need to see ALL the pcs first. By the way i think you guys looked really solid in the Bahamas and are going to be a very tough out ! cant wait until Nov 6th

I've heard that Tre Jones could be out until January. I don't know how true that is, but that is a rumor being perpetuated.

I think there are issues of quality depth after the first 4, maybe 5.

I'm not looking forward to November 6th with all of the injuries Duke has and the fact that Goldwire might be starting point guard. Our best 3 point shooter just broke his face, outside shooting will be a big concern on top of no time for the team to develop chemistry. I'm not optimistic about our chances against UK right now.

Something that I think will be interesting. UK is going to want to play this entire game in transition. Run on offense, press the guards on defense. Duke has no depth, and for as absurdly athletic as Zion is at 271, he's far from his ideal playing weight. I think he's going to struggle with conditioning. He was gassed pretty badly at the end of the first half, and Duke didn't play a fast pace at all. Bolden might as well be removed entirely from that game, he's just too slow and unskilled to do anything. Javin Delaurier would be a solid option for an up-tempo game with elite athletes like that, but I'm not sure how he stacks up against PJ Washington, Reid Travis, Nick Richards, or EJ Montgomery. I admittedly haven't watched him enough, but I mostly view him as an energy guy.

I really want to see how Duke fares against a fast paced, elite shooting Kentucky team on November 6th. I'm not sure how Duke would try to play that one. They have some athletes to be very, very good in the open court, but the depth is just not there, and if Jones is out until January, I could see that presenting a serious issue for Duke well beyond November 6th.
 
the problems i see
3 point shooting
defense
foul trouble on the big three
lack of depth at every position

if the big three can stay out of foul trouble and no injuries then they can offset the depth issues
they call a lot of fouls in CBB, i see no way they all stay out of foul trouble
 
Here's something for both Duke & UK to be concerned about; Freshman. Often inconsistent, especially in November. All this game will show is whose freshman are the least freshman-like that particular day.
 
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Here's something for both Duke & UK to be concerned about; Freshman. Often inconsistent, especially in November. All this game will show is whose freshman are the least freshman-like that particular day.

Pretty much this. Talent is great, but the importance of experience is a very, very real thing.
 
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I'm not looking forward to November 6th with all of the injuries Duke has and the fact that Goldwire might be starting point guard. Our best 3 point shooter just broke his face, outside shooting will be a big concern on top of no time for the team to develop chemistry. I'm not optimistic about our chances against UK right now.
I don't give a crap about a game in November except for braggin' rights.

What I want is a win in March/April. I would love for UK to lose to Duke in November if we bring home number 9.

In 2010 and 2015 I felt that UK would have beatten Duke, but we got knocked out by inferior teams. The NCAA is a big gamble. Over time Duke owes UK. Laughing

By the way: some of the best posters on this board are Duke fans. I hate them but they are nice folks. @tw3301 is one of the best. So screw you tw! SmokinSmile
 
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Tre Jones and Reddish are perfectly fine. Multiple Duke premium boards have mentioned they're practicing and if this was a regular season game they would've played. The Duke coaching staff is just being extra cautious.

This will be the starting lineup Duke rolls out in the Champions Classic in November:

Tre Jones
Cam Reddish
RJ Barrett
Zion WIlliamson
Marques Bolden
 
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Just as I said I would, watching Duke play against Ryerson right now. I really like Zion's athleticism. My biggest takeaways for him over the past few months have been:

- How in shape is he? Look, it's absurd that he's as heavy as he is with the kind of graceful, fluid athleticism that he has, but that does not by any stretch mean that he's playing at his ideal weight, it doesn't make his stronger, and it can bring up serious injury and conditioning concerns. I'm looking forward to maybe catching a glimpse of that.

- How effective can his back-to-the-basket game be? He's terrific at making layups, but with his lack of jump-shooting, people are going to back off and dare him to shoot or back them down. When he backs somebody down, how able is he going to be to score in that way? Especially while often having a height deficiency in the post. Watching him on the All-American circuit, it seemed like he had issues scoring in the low post over length, so I'm curious to see how he does in this way.

Aside from that, I'm curious about Duke's depth and shooting ability.
Jack White and Javin DeLaurier are solid complementary players who understand their roles.

How good of a shooting team Duke is will really depend on the big 4: Reddish, Tre, Barrett and WIlliamson. It's a complete wildcard so its too early to comment since you're relying on HS scouting.

Coach K will only play 7-8 players anyway so depth means nothing for our program.

Our pick and roll defense will start out a weakness though.
 
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