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Fuck it, I'm doing one too.
Marvin and Trevon already gone. Grayson gone. Gary 99% gone. Wendell 99.99999% gone.
Incoming talent:
- RJ Barrett. Going to be our leader.
- Tre Jones. A true point guard, pass first, who can also shoot and score in bunches. Best on this team since his brother.
- Cam Reddish. Swiss Army knife wing talent. Good outside shooter.
- Zion Williamson. A freak. Going to eat on the boards. Unstoppable in PNR. Would love to see K play small ball with him at the 5 from time to time.
Returning talent:
- Marques Bolden. Made MASSIVE improvement last season. A bit of a dinosaur in terms of skill set in today's game, but went from a negative on both ends to a positive on both. Presumed starter.
- Alex O'Connell. Showed a lot this year. Good positional size and skill. Knack for making the right play. Good make-em-mad potential. May not be done growing yet. Should play a lot due to his terrific 3-point stroke. Needs to improve defensively.
- Javin DeLaurier. Motor is off the charts, length is off the charts. Huge player in Duke's surge toward the end of last season, due to his speed for his size, his tenacity on the boards, his shot-blocking, his active hands. If Duke wants to run next season-- and they should-- I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Javin at the 5. Still can't shoot or dribble to save his life-- if he could even shoot 30% from 3, it'd make such a difference.
- Jack White. The Albino Kangaroo. I dragged him a bit coming into next season, but he showed himself this year to be a high-IQ player with unexpected athleticism (white). Jumped over Marvin for a putback dunk at one point. Boxed out really well, worked hard on defense. Needs to develop an outside J to play serious bench minutes.
- Antonio Vrankovic. VRANK THE TANK. Will serve to push Bolden in practice and relieve Bolden in games when we need traditional bigs. Good rebounder and paint presence. Not much else, but that's all we'd need him for.
- Justin Robinson. My underdog pick to earn bench minutes this year. He shot 36% from 3 last year in limited minutes. Long, decent athleticism. Still looks a bit stiff while running, but if he can consistently make the corner 3 and use his length to grab rebounds/defend, he can get on the floor.
- Jordan Goldwire. Love his tenacity as a backup PG, but an obvious 4-year project. Didn't play very well last year. Hoping he can earn some PT this year, but I expect him to come more into play his junior year.
Possible incoming talent:
- EJ Montgomery. Strong power forward prospect. Would definitely fit as a 5 in a small ball lineup. Didn't seem OAD to me from what I saw, but definitely looked more polished/skilled/versatile than our current bench options. Would love to have him, especially if he envisions himself as a multi-year guy. Him coming could impact Bolden, though-- I wonder if Montgomery's waiting to hear if Bolden will leave/transfer before committing-- and I'd rather have Bolden if push came to shove.
- Joe Cremo. Transfer from Albany. 6'5 SG. Kid can fill it up. Not a surprise that Duke will look for grad transfer shooting with its last scholarship slot. Would give experience and an additional long-range threat to a team that will be somewhat lacking in both areas. We'll see if he wants to join Duke to contend for a title or if he'd rather go somewhere else to be more featured. Can't blame him for wanting either.
Disappointing end to last season, to watch your Final Four ticket rim out. Next season's team won't have the size advantage that this year's had, but it'll still have good length and athleticism, the shooting, slashing, and man-to-man defense should improve, and I can't underscore enough how important a proven winner like Barrett and a true PG like Jones will be for this team.
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