Duke Basketball: Grad transfer Patrick Tape adds needed frontcourt depth

Patrick Tape isn’t the biggest name in the world. Yet he could be just as important as any newcome for Duke Basketball next season.

Duke Basketball isn’t known for landing many graduate transfers. That’s because Coach K and the staff are too busy landing five-star future starters, with the bench filled with top-100 talent. But sometimes being young is more of a curse than a blessing, which is why the Blue Devils have also ventured into the transfer portal. And the fish they landed was… Patrick Tape.

It’s understandable for those who aren’t familiar with the name. The 6’10 forward missed all of last season with a toe injury, having just one season of big production under his belt at Columbia. He averaged 11.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg while also having 76 career blocks in three seasons. The Lions though haven’t been postseason eligible since they haven’t cracked the top-4 of the Ivy League, so Tape’s name won’t be known in the same way other Ivy League transfers such as Jordan Bruner of Yale and Harvard’s Seth Towns are.

So why would Tape be Duke’s first-ever grad transfer recipient? Syracuse was also after him so it’s not that he’s a below-average player. But he also fills a need for the team, who have to be realistic in this kind of process. The Blue Devils have the No. 2 incoming recruiting class, with six players ranked at least No. 44 or higher, per 247sportsComposite. It’s hard to have a grad transfer truly believe that they can get 30+ mpg for Duke, compared to many of the other programs who offered.

But what this team needs is to have a stronger bench, which has been a weak point in recent years. And with Javin DeLaurier, Jack White and Justin Robinson graduating and Alex O’Connell transferring out, the reserves for Duke could be as young as the starters usually are. In addition, assuming that Vernon Carey Jr. does enter the NBA Draft, the depth at the center spot was looking very shallow.

Even if nothing else, Tape can provide 10-15 minutes off the bench for freshman Mark Williams at the center position and provide soild backup in the same way that both DeLaurier and Marques Bolden has done in prior seasons. The Blue Devils will always have one of the better starting lineups in the country but a weak bench has and will make them vulnerable in the future.

Patrick Tape isn’t a huge name but Duke wasn’t going to land a huge name from the transfer portal. But at least they’ll have a veteran presence on the roster that can provide good defense and five fouls each game. The stars get the most attention but for the Blue Devils to make the Final Four in 2021, it’ll be a quality rotation of 9-10 players that’ll do the trick.