Question for Duke Fans

[Random UK Fan]

I heard a guy on the radio trying to convince the audience that Duke’s team is made up of Zion and a supporting cast, and that RJ isn’t good enough to carry a team -as evidenced by recent struggles - which is why he shouldn’t be considered a future top 5 draft pick.

What do you think about that mindset? I’m not saying that’s true or not, just thought it was an odd perspective.

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

I don't think Duke can afford to be without Zion or Barrett. But simply for his presence on defense, I think they can less afford to lose Zion. Don't see either carrying the team to their dreams without the other.

Dumb take IMO.

 

[Random UK Fan]

I’ve wondered what the college landscape would look like if Barrett had picked another school. Duke would still be tough with Zion, but I feel like Barrett has plenty of talent but playing with Z overshadows it.

 

[Quavarius]

I heard a guy on the radio trying to convince the audience that Duke’s team is made up of Zion and a supporting cast, and that RJ isn’t good enough to carry a team -as evidenced by recent struggles - which is why he shouldn’t be considered a future top 5 draft pick.

What do you think about that mindset? I’m not saying that’s true or not, just thought it was an odd perspective.

Clearly this guy hasn’t heard of RJ Barrett, who led Canada to a Gold medal and played on the Canadian National team as an 18 year old. Recent struggles aren’t on RJ; he’s averaging like 26-28 points. If he’d score 40-45, everyone would call him a ball hog.

Just a dumb take.

 

[JimboBBN]

Duke wouldn't be nearly the contender they are without either Zion or Barrett. Those two playing together takes pressure off the other one. I'm not kidding, those two on the fast break together remind me of the prime Heat days with LBJ and Wade running the floor.

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

I’ve wondered what the college landscape would look like if Barrett had picked another school. Duke would still be tough with Zion, but I feel like Barrett has plenty of talent but playing with Z overshadows it.

I disagree. Barrett is getting plenty of exposure. If he was playing at another school, he'd probably have slightly higher numbers. But on the flip side, so would Zion's numbers. The only reason the story has been Zion this year is because of his freakish abilities. And that wouldn't be any different had Barrett gone to another school.

Reality is, they are both great for each other, neither one is overshadowing the other.

 

[FaithPlusOne]

Not a Duke fan but I’ll answer anyway. Was it a radio host or a caller? If it was a host then he should lose his job. Barrett is a cold blooded killer. He carried the Canadian team over a much more talented USA team, didn’t he?

 

[lurkeraspect84]

Couldn't he say that about basically every team who loses their best player?

 

[Quavarius]

Couldn't he say that about basically every team who loses their best player?

I mean....

 

[WeAreDePaul]

Couldn't he say that about basically every team who loses their best player?

Not Virginia Tech according to @Quavarius . According to him, only Duke is affected by having their best player out.

 

[Rhavicc]

I'm obviously not a Duke fan, but I'll leave my input. The problem is not RJ Barrett. He's responsible for close to 65% of Duke's scoring without Zion (through scoring and assists). He's extremely talented. The problem is the rest of Duke's roster. It's shit, sans Tre Jones. Yes, I'm including Cam Reddish (who I've long thought to be extremely overrated, even while he was in high school). He has moves, he just can't connect with them. He's miraculously 36% from the field. I bicker because ESPN wants to go down on Zion for everything that he does from the moment he rolls out of bed in the morning until he goes to sleep at night, but it can't be understated just how important he and RJ Barrett are to that team. Those two alone account for over half of the team's points. They're two of the three players on the roster averaging double figures in points per game, with the third having to take an average of about 11 shots per game before he gets into double figures.

Couldn't he say that about basically every team who loses their best player?

In fairness, Virginia Tech lost their best player too. Zion is a much bigger loss for Duke though because, as I said, the rest of the roster aside from Barrett and Jones is pretty garbage.

 

[RollTide7277]

Like what most schools go through, Duke is just in a slump. Probably more of an adjustment period than slump, they did win in a rocking Carrier Dome over the weekend.

Now, if that continues going into tournament play, there might be cause for concern. I just don't see it right now.

 

[RipThru]

I’ve often wondered how much Barrett, Reddish, and to a lesser degree Jones, are affected by the all the Zion love. I mean these dudes are all alphas and future NBA players. To constantly hear “Duke can’t win without Zion” would aggravate the shit out of me if I were one of those 3.

 

[shockey4064]

Couldn't he say that about basically every team who loses their best player?

Sometimes, sometimes not. I think Duke and Tennessee would have by far the biggest performance drop offs if missing one of their top two players. But I'm not even sure who Kentucky's or North Carolina's best two players are, and Kentucky at least has suffered through and won against good teams when various integral players are basically no-shows; and Virginia and Michigan State have proven they can win at a high level if one (or more) of their top guys are hurt and not playing. I don't know anything about Gonzaga so I didn't include them.

Duke this year has an abnormally high reliance on those two players for being an elite team as evidenced by that 50% scoring statistic from a few weeks ago. So them missing one is more of a big deal than with most other teams

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

I’ve often wondered how much Barrett, Reddish, and to a lesser degree Jones, are affected by the all the Zion love. I mean these dudes are all alphas and future NBA players. To constantly hear “Duke can’t win without Zion” would aggravate the shit out of me if I were one of those 3.

Well then they should go out there and win the games without Zion, right?

 

[RipThru]

That’d be the ideal scenario I would imagine

 

[Quavarius]

Not Virginia Tech according to @Quavarius . According to him, only Duke is affected by having their best player out.

Who said Duke is the only team dealing with injuries? You tried to compare Zion to Justin Robinson. Ya 0-3. Just stop

 

[TheDude1]

Eh... over the past six games, which included 4 against Top 25 teams and 4 away games, Barrett averaged 24 ppg, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. I have a hard time saying that is somehow not worth of a top 5 pick. Who are you going to pick above him, other than Zion?

 

[jhmossy]

Sometimes, sometimes not. I think Duke and Tennessee would have by far the biggest performance drop offs if missing one of their top two players. But I'm not even sure who Kentucky's or North Carolina's best two players are, and Kentucky at least has suffered through and won against good teams when various integral players are basically no-shows; and Virginia and Michigan State have proven they can win at a high level if one (or more) of their top guys are hurt and not playing. I don't know anything about Gonzaga so I didn't include them.

Duke this year has an abnormally high reliance on those two players for being an elite team as evidenced by that 50% scoring statistic from a few weeks ago. So them missing one is more of a big deal than with most other teams

Wake me up when any of those other teams lose to a 16 seed without their only NBA level player. I guarantee you Duke will not lose to a 16 seed without Zion.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

Eh... over the past six games, which included 4 against Top 25 teams and 4 away games, Barrett averaged 24 ppg, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. I have a hard time saying that is somehow not worth of a top 5 pick. Who are you going to pick above him, other than Zion?

I wouldn't be surprised to see Reddish as a better pro than Barrett. I've been fan of Reddish for a while and it didn't stop due to him going to Duke, so maybe I'm biased.

 

[Sevro]

Clearly this guy hasn’t heard of RJ Barrett, who led Canada to a Gold medal and played on the Canadian National team as an 18 year old. Recent struggles aren’t on RJ; he’s averaging like 26-28 points. If he’d score 40-45, everyone would call him a ball hog.

Just a dumb take.

Just can't lead them past VT

 

[WeAreDePaul]

Who said Duke is the only team dealing with injuries? You tried to compare Zion to Justin Robinson. Ya 0-3. Just stop

In terms of value to their team, they are very comparable. In fact, you could argue that Robinson is more valuable to his team than Zion is to his.

My overall point being that Duke shouldn't get any credit for losing without Zion when VaTech was missing their most important piece as well.


Where did you go to school cause it's obvious it wasn't Duke. I was told smart people went there.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

Where did you go to school cause it's obvious it wasn't Duke. I was told smart people went there.

I'm pretty sure @TheDude1 went there so...

 

[Quavarius]

In terms of value to their team, they are very comparable. In fact, you could argue that Robinson is more valuable to his team than Zion is to his.

My overall point being that Duke shouldn't get any credit for losing without Zion when VaTech was missing their most important piece as well.


Where did you go to school cause it's obvious it wasn't Duke. I was told smart people went there.

Dude is comparing Justin Robinson to THE most efficient college basketball player this decade. What school did YOU go to?

 

[Quavarius]

Just can't lead them past VT

Ya got me there, slick!

 

[WeAreDePaul]

Dude is comparing Justin Robinson to THE most efficient college basketball player this decade. What school did YOU go to?

you don't know what school I went to? And I'm the dumb one here?

 

[Quavarius]

you don't know what school I went to? And I'm the dumb one here?

Yes, you are!

 

[lurkeraspect84]

My co-workers are used to me laughing out loud in my office. This board cracks me up everyday and really helps pass the time by. Thanks guys.

 

[Random UK Fan]

Not a Duke fan but I’ll answer anyway. Was it a radio host or a caller? If it was a host then he should lose his job. Barrett is a cold blooded killer. He carried the Canadian team over a much more talented USA team, didn’t he?

It was a host. Didn't get to here the entire call because I reached my destination.

 

[TheDude1]

I'm pretty sure @TheDude1 went there so...

Only for my three undergrad degrees. For the masters, I went to Columbia. So I don't want to make it sound like all of my work was at Duke... that would be misleading.

 

[TheDude1]

Gotta say, I am not the biggest fan of Reddish. He is a good ball player, but he has a LONG way to go. His game is still immature, and it seems like he still doesn't have his body doing what he wants it to do. I think he is several years away from his best.

 

[TheDude1]

Wake me up when any of those other teams lose to a 16 seed without their only NBA level player. I guarantee you Duke will not lose to a 16 seed without Zion.

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

Gotta say, I am not the biggest fan of Reddish. He is a good ball player, but he has a LONG way to go. His game is still immature, and it seems like he still doesn't have his body doing what he wants it to do. I think he is several years away from his best.

I think he's best when he doesn't have time to think. He is solid on inbound plays and when he is trailing and gets a pass in stride. When he's wide open, he sucks. He also struggles driving the ball. Like last night he drove to the basket and stuck his knee right through the defender and never even came close to looking like he was going to get a shot off. But when he's on, he's on.

 

[Mac9192]

I’ve often wondered how much Barrett, Reddish, and to a lesser degree Jones, are affected by the all the Zion love. I mean these dudes are all alphas and future NBA players. To constantly hear “Duke can’t win without Zion” would aggravate the shit out of me if I were one of those 3.

Then maybe Cam and Tre should play a little better while Zion is out. Losing 2 out of 3 so far without Zion doesn't help their cause.

Bottom line is Zion and RJ have been the only 2 consistent players. For my boys to have a chance to win it all, several others need to put their big boy pants on. I'll start with Cam and Tre.

 

[UNC71-00]

Wake me up when any of those other teams lose to a 16 seed without their only NBA level player. I guarantee you Duke will not lose to a 16 seed without Zion.

Without Zion they will be playing a 15 seed

 

[bkingUK]

Whatever Duke has to adjust and improve is almost irrelevant to March because they have to his play to style when he comes back. Question is if struggles now make Duke better when he comes back or if return kills chemistry and momentum.

 

[Sevro]

Whatever Duke has to adjust and improve is almost irrelevant to March because they have to his play to style when he comes back. Question is if struggles now make Duke better when he comes back or if return kills chemistry and momentum.

Destroy chemistry? What chemistry? He is their chemistry.

 

[kl40504]

I heard a guy on the radio trying to convince the audience that Duke’s team is made up of Zion and a supporting cast, and that RJ isn’t good enough to carry a team -as evidenced by recent struggles - which is why he shouldn’t be considered a future top 5 draft pick.

What do you think about that mindset? I’m not saying that’s true or not, just thought it was an odd perspective.

Duke has 4 of the best starting players in college basketball. Missing one of those players means they still have 3. They are a great team regardless. Everyone is subject to being beat as evidenced by UK almost losing to Arkansas, a bottom feeder in tne SEC..