Duke Basketball: Who will be the Blue Devils’ most impactful freshman?

By Kyler Proffitt | Oct 7, 2016

Mar 30, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; From left to right McDonald's All-Americans Jayson Tatum (22) and Frank Johnson (3) who will both be attending Duke University pose for a group photo before the McDonald's High School All-American Game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Duke basketball has so many top level freshman coming in that it’s tough to choose who might make the biggest impact.

Depending on what recruiting service you follow the most, Duke either has the first or second overall class in 2016. Either way, the only other team that can match the work the Duke coaching staff did is Kentucky.

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Then there is everyone else.

This is likely the most talented recruiting class that Coach K has ever put together. Only the class of 2014, when Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen came together, rivals the talent the Blue Devils have been able to reel in in 2016.

With all the potential possessed in this class, you could practically make a starting lineup out of it by putting Jayson Tatum at the shooting guard spot, Harry Giles at the small forward, Frank Jackson at the point and Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden in the paint. These five freshmen could be better than most of the other starting five’s across the country.

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But with all this talent on the roster, which freshman will shine the brightest?

Harry Giles was ranked the highest in this class, but he’s dealing with the injury bug. If he can’t get fully healthy, he won’t make a huge impact in Durham.

Let’s say for now he comes back fully healthy and is ready to go. That would mean that there is no question that Giles will be the best freshman for the Blue Devils. There is a reason ESPN kept him as their top overall prospect, despite Giles’ inability to play his senior year of high school due to an ACL tear.

Giles is part of the new age of big men. He can run the floor extremely well and play on both sides of the ball. He’ll be a rim protector for Duke, as well as being able to score from almost anywhere on the floor. He’s got great size and the ability to influence the game in many different facets. Giles can be the national freshman of the year if he can get healthy.

If Giles doesn’t successfully heal, which freshman steps up next?

Jayson Tatum seems like the obvious choice. But what was Duke lacking the most last year? A true point guard and a post presence.

This is where Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden could be monstrous.

Jackson isn’t a true point guard, instead, he’s more of a scoring guard. However, he can mold into a pass-first type of player and learn to defend multiple positions without fouling under Coach K.

Bolden has a strong post-game – not the type that Okafor had, but he’s on his way. He’ll be crucial for Duke if Giles isn’t healthy for the start of the season. Having the ability to go inside-out keeps the defense guessing and that’s how the Blue Devils played in 2014-15 when the program hung up it’s fifth national championship banner.

Bolden has got to be a reliable force on the inside with the questions surrounding Giles.

And then there’s the man everyone is talking about, Tatum. He’s such a polished offensive player that he’s going to torch mediocre defenses. But if you noticed during the 2016 McDonald’s All-American game, Tatum struggled shooting the ball against top level opponents. He had trouble getting into the paint and scoring at will like he usually does.

Luckily with the depth Duke has, Tatum will get to play his natural position at small forward.

Because of the talent and depth on this roster, Javin DeLaurier and Jack White will be used sparingly. This isn’t to say they aren’t talented, but they’ll need to wait their turn. I don’t see either of these guys making much of an impact game after game. They may have their few plays every other night that gets the crowd to stand on their feet, but not enough to be the top freshman on the roster.

As mentioned before, I think if healthy, Giles easily leads this team. If he isn’t, it gets murky between Bolden, Jackson and Tatum.

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There is plenty of scoring on the Duke roster, but Jackson has the ability to solve the point guard problems of last year and Bolden has the opportunity to be the post presence this team needs. No matter what, these freshman are going to produce big time.

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