Busting Brackets
Fansided

ACC Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 recruiting classes

By Tristan Freeman

SYRACUSE, NY - OCTOBER 25: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a call against the St. Rose Golden Knights during the second half at the Carrier Dome on October 25, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated St. Rose 80-49. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - OCTOBER 25: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts to a call against the St. Rose Golden Knights during the second half at the Carrier Dome on October 25, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated St. Rose 80-49. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Duke still has firepower – just a more balanced version

In the ultimate version of “first world problems” Duke’s 2019 recruiting class isn’t as good as the last few years. They weren’t able to land the very best prospects from this group like they did in the past such as Harry Giles, Marvin Bagley, Jason Tatum and the recent three-headed monster of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish.

Of course, that’s not to say that these incoming Blue Devils are chopped liver. The four-man group ranks No. 3 overall and beat out UNC and Louisville for the top ACC class. And there are a pair of five-star prospects in Vernon Carey and Matthew Hurt who certainly could be “one and done” for the 2020 NBA Draft. Then there are a pair of talented top-40 overall wing recruits on Cassius Stanley and Wendell Moore whose shooting ability will be crucial for next season. These two also could go pro after one year but at the very least should still start.

With Tre Jones coming back for his sophomore season, he’ll have a number of options on offense to work with. There might not be a 20 ppg scorer among the incoming freshmen but that could work out better for the program. Look for some projections of Jones and entire 2019 class to all average between 10-20 ppg to provide a balanced attack, rather than relying on just a couple of guys to provide the scoring load.

This is still a great class for Duke but for the first time isn’t the cream of the crop in NCAA Basketball this offseason (that goes to Memphis). However, this group could do something that none of the previously mentioned top recruits could do with the Blue Devils – make a Final Four.