Duke Basketball: 5 reasons why Blue Devils will win ACC title in 2019-20
By Brian Rauf
1) Talented freshmen class that complements each other
Duke is bringing in a highly rated freshman class filled with projected first-round NBA Draft picks? Color me shocked!
All kidding aside, the Blue Devils are going to have one of the nation’s most talented teams again because of the quality of their freshman class. Vernon Carey Jr. and Matthew Hurt, a pair of five-star prospects, will start in the frontcourt with top-40 prospects Wendell Moore and Cassius Stanley starting on the wing.
Of course, this program had arguably the three most talented freshmen in the country last year, including a generational talent in Zion Williamson, and they couldn’t get the job done. Why will this season be any different?
These pieces actually fit better together than the Duke teams of the past few years. In 2017, Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. both excelled in the post so, to avoid clogging the lane, Carter spent a lot of his time at the high post, limiting what he did best. Last year, Barrett, Reddish, and Williamson were all great scorers, but there wasn’t great diversity in how they scored since all three struggled to make perimeter shots.
Carey will be the anchor in the post on both ends for the Dukies this year with Hurt serving as a legitimate stretch four who can drain shots from deep and attack the basket off the bounce. On the wing, Moore is a defensively focused player while Stanley is an all-around athlete who can also make shots from the perimeter.
See? Variance.
This group doesn’t have the pure raw talent of last season’s Big 3, but the way their abilities complement each other makes them more apt for cohesion and success.