Duke Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Blue Devils
Starting Lineup
Point Guard: Jeremy Roach, Freshman
Jeremy Roach is a highly-ranked recruit, coming in as the fourth-ranked point guard in the Class of 2020, and the 23rd ranked player nationally. Roach has solid ball skills, is capable of getting to the rim almost with ease, has a great basketball IQ, and is a very good defender who will be utilized likely in a starting role at Duke.
Roach will be tasked with filling the shoes of the 2019-20 ACC Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year, Tre Jones who left Duke for the 2020 NBA Draft. Roach is very talented and will undoubtedly help the Blue Devils in more ways than one this upcoming season.
Shooting Guard: DJ Steward, Freshman
DJ Steward is another highly-ranked recruit, who was ranked fifth at his position, and 26th nationally in the Class of 2020. Steward is a speedy guard who can easily get past defenders and to the rim, he has the ability to finish around the rim and get to the free-throw line but needs to work on his shot if he wants to be great at the next level.
Steward is another player tasked with stepping into the shoes of a player before him as he will take over Cassius Stanley’s role who was selected to the ACC All-Freshman team last season but left Durham for the NBA Draft. Steward will get a ton of minutes for the Blue Devils and will have the ball in his hand quite a bit next season.
Small Forward: Jalen Johnson, Freshman
Jalen Johnson is Duke’s highest-ranked recruit from the Class of 2020, coming in as the third-ranked small forward, and the 13th ranked player nationally. Johnson is incredibly talented and will be one of the most important players on the 2020-21 Blue Devils.
Johnson does just about everything well as he is an impressive passer with rebounding and ball-handling skills, can get to the rim, but he has an inconsistent jump shot that will need some work. Johnson will likely start for the Blue Devils next season and will play a ton of minutes, stepping into a role where he will be relied upon heavily in Durham.
Power Forward: Matthew Hurt, Sophomore
Matthew Hurt will be back at Duke for his sophomore season, after averaging 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game in his freshman season where he averaged 20.5 minutes per game with 22 starts in 31 games overall.
Hurt is a very talented player, but he didn’t quite reach his potential in year one when he came to Duke as the 11th-ranked player in the Class of 2019. If Hurt can reach his potential in his sophomore season, Duke will be a very difficult team to defend. Hurt was known for being a lights-out shooter in high school, and we saw flashes of that last season, but he lacked consistency.
I fully expect Hurt to step into a bigger role in his second year with the Blue Devils, and he will likely improve and help Duke much more than he did in his first season.
Center: Mark Williams, Freshman
Mark Williams is another freshman who will likely start for the Blue Devils during the 2020-21 season. Williams is the sixth-ranked center in the Class of 2020 and the 28th ranked player nationally, he is a 7’0″ 225lb beast who will be a huge piece for Duke on both sides of the floor.
Williams will be forced to fill Vernon Carey jr.’s shoes who was named to the All-ACC First Team last season, while also winning ACC Freshman of the Year. Carey was very impressive for the Blue Devils last season, and Williams will hope to be just as impressive in his freshman year.