I think we will have the best all-around college player in RJ. He will be the leader of this team, and he'll put us on his back when necessary. Being in Canada, I think he's been a little overly aggressive on offense trying put on a show for his fans. That said, he seems to be our best player and the kind of player that relishes the big moments and can will us to wins on off nights.
Zion, wow. Better than I thought honestly. It was hard to get a read on him watching him against 5'10 high schoolers. Was very impressed with his ball-handling and court vision. Seems very unselfish, and could be our best playmaking defender with his anticipation instincts. Oh yea, he also may be the best pound for pound athlete any of us have ever seen on a basketball court. That helps.
As far as everyone else, I wish Jack had more confidence in his in-game shooting and is quicker to pull the trigger. From all accounts this summer, he is our best spot-up shooter and we'll need him to take the open shots.
While he'll never dominate offensively, somehow Javin gets more energetic every year. And being a junior, his growing IQ is now putting him in the right places at the right times. How can you not love having a guy like him. Very much like a Dave McClure or Lance Thomas.
Ques... I just don't know. He seems to be low on energy, and just out of rhythm(It is August). I think he'll be more noticeable, especially defensively, once fall practice rolls around.
Alex unfortunately was injured but I think he'll be our spark plug off the bench. He'll just get better and better the longer he is at Duke IMO.
Goldwire looks to be handling the PG duties well when RJ is on the bench. Seems like a natural will the ball in his hands at the top of the key. Wish he could make more of the open 3's but, it's been two games and he's probably just not in game form yet. He'll be a great guy to put in the game if we get sloppy on O or need some perimeter defense.
Baker looks like a great get. I bet he could fit in well with any team. Not sure if he'll RS this year or not, either way he'll be a starter for us down the road IMO. Can rebound, shoot, pass, handle well for a big guy, and hopefully defend as well.
Vrank looks like a clone of Senior Zoubs right now, and that has to be a good omen. He"ll be ready to defend and rebound his *** off when called upon.
J-Rob isn't shooting his best but is another guy who will always give you his all when he's out there.
As far as Cam and Tre, I can't wait. Another year of OADs, another year of me drooling at the first few times I see these young guys in Duke jerseys. We are spoiled, no doubt. We once again have potential to be the best team in the country. But the last two years, we've seen how injuries and youth can really put a hamper on the talent itself. If we've learned anything, it's that offense is not the problem with the freshmen. We NEED these guys to buy in and work their tails off this fall to become great team defenders. They might be able to guard 1v1, but if there's no communication or trust we'll be in the same spot as last year.
As you can see, I've been needing to watch a Duke basketball game for a while. I was starting to get the shakes. Feels good to see the new squad! Very excited about our prospects.
