Duke Blue Devils

Duke Basketball: What flaws do Blue Devils need to correct before March?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Mar 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; The Duke Blue Devils mascot gestures on the court against the North Carolina State Wolfpack n the first half during day two of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. The Blue Devils won 92-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

What flaws stick out when looking at the Duke basketball roster for 2016-17?

The Duke Blue Devils are flat out loaded.

Between having one of the best coaches in all of sports roaming the sidelines and the best roster in college basketball since the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats, the Blue Devils are the clear favorite to win the 2017 National Championship.

They will open up the AP Preseason Poll as the top team in the country and are likely to win the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles.

While their roster has very few gaps, it would be a major surprise if they finished undefeated. The ACC is the best conference in college basketball and the depth of the league will almost assuredly trip up the Blue Devils multiple times.

But there have been interesting comparisons. One came from Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who told Jon Rothstein that this year’s version of the Blue Devils is similar to the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats, who Pitino once coached.

“They’ve got a fifth-year guy (Amile Jefferson) who’s a terrific rebounder and basketball player and they’ve got great shooting, great coaching and a great system,” Pitino said. “They’ve got it all. They’re very deep and they’ve got two of the best in Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles — the one-and-two ranked high school players in the nation. They’re as good of a team as I’ve seen in the modern era.”

When breaking down the roster, you can see why Pitino and others have such high praise.

Coach K has an excellent combination of veterans and explosive, high IQ youngsters.

We’ll start with the returnees who are headlined by the Blue Devils’ leading scorer from last season, guard Grayson Allen. Allen averaged 21.6 points per game and was one of the top players in the ACC.

Center Amile Jefferson, a fifth year senior, was arguably the team’s most valuable player before he suffered a foot injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season. Sharp shooter Luke Kennard and lock down defender and three-point shooting stud Matt Jones return as role players. Finally, sophomore forward Chase Jeter will come off the bench as a capable rebounder and finisher inside.

Meanwhile, Duke’s recruiting class is the best in nation (Kentucky is number one in some recruiting service websites as well). The Blue Devils add four future pros, Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden, and two players who will likely be the key to the future in Javin DeLaurier and Jack White.

Giles is the potential number one pick in 2017 NBA Draft if he can stay healthy, while Tatum and Bolden could turn out to be one-and-done lottery picks.

So, yes, Duke has the deepest and most dangerous roster in the nation.

But they do have some concerns and questions that will need to be answered before they are ready for March.

This team is not unbeatable.

Mar 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) during the 2nd half of the Blue Devils 82-68 loss to Oregon in a semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

3. Will Grayson Allen become a more well rounded player?

Grayson Allen is playing the Christian Laettner-J.J. Redick role on this 2016-17 Duke roster. His tripping fiascos, NCAA Tournament post-game incident with Dillon Brooks and the fact he plays for the Blue Devils has turned Allen into a polarizing figure.

However, Allen blocked out all the noise and averaged a team high 21.6 points, grabbed 4.6 rebounds, dished out 3.5 assists and shot 47 percent from the field (42 percent from long range). He scored at will and was Duke’s go-to player in multiple late game scenarios, including his buzzer beater to beat Virginia.

But this doesn’t mean that Allen is perfect.

He is a terrific scorer, an impressive athlete and a player who can handle the ball both in the half court and in transition. However, Allen still needs to improve his defensive intensity and will have to be even more creative on the offensive end of the floor.

Because of all the weapons in 2016-17, Allen is unlikely to average 21.6 points per game in his junior campaign. That might not be a bad thing though because the Blue Devils need all the help they can get defensively.

Allen may be able to allocate more energy to the defensive end of the floor, which will not only help his draft stock, but will give the Blue Devils another defensive weapon next to Matt Jones and Frank Jackson on the perimeter.

For one, Duke’s entire team struggled defensively in 2015-16. That could change with a deeper roster, more athletes and more length. And one of the players that could help them take that next step is Allen.

In terms of his offensive creativity, Allen was an elite scorer last season so this is a bit of nitpicking. Then I think of Duke’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Champions Classic and how predictable Allen was in that particular game.

He scored six points on 2-of-11 shooting in Duke’s 11 point loss to the Wildcats. He drove into the lane consistently, but it was always to his right hand and he tried to leap over defenders to make a monster dunk and a game changing play.

This didn’t creep up for the rest of the season, but he also struggled against Oregon in the NCAA Tournament.

If Allen can become even better in those big games, he could be a potential National Player of the Year candidate and Duke will likely be cutting down the nets in March.

Feb 25, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils fans cheer prior to game against the Florida State Seminoles at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

2. What’s Harry Giles’ status?

Duke is already dealing with their first stint of adversity, as it was announced on Monday that five-star freshman forward Harry Giles underwent surgery on his left knee. The future NBA talent and the number one player in the class of 2016 will be out six weeks, putting his status for their November 11th opener and the Champions Classic the following week in jeopardy.

Because Duke is deep enough, it’s not a major deal that Giles is projected to be out for the first part of non-conference play.

However, this news expands beyond just the six week time period. Giles has suffered multiple major knee injuries. In his sophomore year of high school, he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee (the same knee he had a procedure on here in October). Last year in his first game with Oak Hill Academy, Giles tore the ACL in his right knee.

The trademark of Giles’ game is his athleticism, so as he tries to gain his explosiveness and leaping ability back, his effectiveness could be lacking.

After not playing for a year, how rusty with Giles be? Will he be 100 percent at all this season? Does he consider sitting out the season in order to get ready for the NBA Draft? Will the rehab take longer than expected because of the previous operations on his knee? How long will he be limited for when he returns?

There are infamous questions to answer about one of Duke’s most important players and that’s why it was so critical that the Blue Devils added Marques Bolden into the mix late in the recruiting process. Bolden, who is ranked 16th in ESPN’s top 100, is long, mobile and has excellent touch with both hands around the rim. He will provide depth alongside Amile Jefferson.

Regardless of Bolden’s stature and Amile Jefferson’s health (he is returning from a foot injury), until we receive answers on Giles, the Blue Devils are certainly more vulnerable up-front.

Mar 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Chase Jeter (2) celebrates with teammates after a basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half during day three of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

1. Will the chemistry be evident?

The biggest question for a team as deep and as talented as the Duke Blue Devils is in regards to chemistry. But this is especially important for Coach K’s squad this year.

The Blue Devils have a plethora of players who love to play with the ball in their hands. Grayson Allen is the team’s top scorer, five-star point guard Frank Jackson will initiate the offense with his athleticism and high IQ, Jayson Tatum is the master of creating in the mid-range and Harry Giles obviously needs his fair share of touches.

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How they balance out the offense will be rather interesting as it may take a little while for them to adjust.

However, pushing Allen off the ball will benefit him in terms of creating better angles to attack the hoop and possibly more opportunities to find space to knock down threes. It’s to be seen as to how Jackson, Tatum and Giles can adjust, but they are high quality recruits for a reason.

Beyond how they dish out the ball handling/offensive responsibilities, Coach K will also have to manage personalities, similar to what John Calipari did for the 2014-15, 38-1 Kentucky Wildcats. Coach K will have a rotation that consists of 10-11 capable players and others who would’ve likely gained quality minutes with other programs.

Duke won’t platoon like Kentucky did, but instead, they will balance minutes in order to conserve energy and they will put guys in the right situations to succeed. Some of the returning players might actually relish this depth after having only seven true players in last year’s rotation.

Also, Coach K has the upper hand when it comes to dealing with unique personalities and star players. He has coached Team USA in the last three Olympics, dealing with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and so on.

He has had to keep star players limited before, but only this time it comes in a different manner. Coach K will be coaching young rising talents who are trying to reach the highest levels of basketball. If they don’t win consistently, this could rub some prospects the wrong way and create some tension in the locker room.

But that’s why Coach K is the best. That’s why he reels in the best talent. And that’s why he has won the most games of any coach in college basketball history.

Patience is key, but by time March rolls around, the Blue Devils should have enough continuity and chemistry to win it all.