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Duke Basketball: Analyzing potential 2019-20 rotation for Blue Devils

By Matthew Travis

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 24: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts with Tre Jones #3 after a basket against the UCF Knights during the first half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 24: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts with Tre Jones #3 after a basket against the UCF Knights during the first half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 02: Alex O’Connell #15 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 02: Alex O’Connell #15 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guard

Minutes Allocated (40 total): Cassius Stanley (23), Alex O’Connell (15), Jordan Goldwire (2)

Shooting guard is the position for Duke next season where we will see two players switch off starting throughout the season.

On the one hand you have rising junior, Alex O’Connell who we saw significant improvement out of during the 2018-19 season, but on the other you have Cassius Stanley who was ranked 31st overall in the Class of 2019 and the sixth ranked shooting guard.

This being said, we might not know who will normally start at shooting guard until a couple games into the season, such as Duke’s first real test which will be the third game of the year as part of the Champions Classic against Devon Dotson and the Kansas Jayhawks.

However, Cassius Stanley should ultimately win the position over as there are still several holes in O’Connell’s game that need to be fixed if he wants to be the consistent starter on one of College Basketball’s premier programs.

O’Connell is inconsistent at best from beyond the arc, he is spotty inside and at times it appears as if he is scared to take it to the rim. This plus his inconsistent defense makes it tough for one to say that he should start for Duke next season over Cassius Stanley who was one of the more sought after prospects in the country last season.

Stanley is a heck of an athlete who brings a lot to the table as a shooting guard. He is not afraid of going against anyone when taking it to the rim and he has the capability of dunking on any player in the country because of his unmatched jumping ability.

Stanley is also a very good dribbler with good handles and a high basketball IQ and it is because of this that he, like Tre Jones will have a very low assist-to-turnover ratio.

Jordan Goldwire will also get a couple minutes here and there at shooting guard because the Tre Jones-Jordan Goldwire backcourt would be absolutely lethal on defense. It is because of this that you might see Coach K experiment with that every now and then.

This is a position that will ultimately be won over by Cassius Stanley, but expect Alex O’Connell to still get a lot of minutes, especially early on in the season.

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