Oregon Basketball: What makes the Ducks a potential top-10 team?

4. Freshmen fill positional needs.

Recruiting is a tricky game. Every program wants to land the most highly-rated recruits that they possibly can but it is also important to be targeting players that fill obvious positional needs for the coming season. Therefore, it is a testament to Coach Altman’s recruiting prowess that he was able to snag the No. 4 overall class in the country while filling each major hole in his rotation. The coaching staff did an exceptional job shoring up their weaknesses in the front court with a number of highly-talented recruits. Of course, replacing the losses of Bol Bol, Louis King, Paul White, and Kenny Wooten will not be easy, but the Ducks have some viable options for those minutes.

At the center spot, N’Faly Dante looks poised to play big-time minutes. Dante, who is ranked as the No. 14 overall recruit in the class, recently reclassified and committed. With fellow 2019 commit Isaac Johnson taking a two-year mission, Dante will be the primary center this season and he should hold down the paint. Additionally, power forward prospects CJ Walker (No. 28) and Chandler Lawson (No. 94) both stand at 6-foot-8 and should provide immediate minute to make up for other losses in the frontcourt.

Behind Pritchard, Duarte, and Mathis, the coaching staff was also recently able to secure a reclass/commit from top-50 shooting guard Addison Patterson. He should be a solid reserve contributor right away next season as he adds to Oregon’s impressive depth. About three months ago, the Ducks were a very thin team needing several key acquisitions to rise up the national rankings following several departures. Now, though, they are one of the deepest teams in the entire country with an insane amount of talent.

As a result of these four key factors, it seems likely that Oregon will be one of the nation’s top teams this season. Living up to top-10 expectations might be difficult, but the coaching and the talent is there for the Ducks to be an elite team. Coach Altman is knocking on the door of taking this program to the next level.