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Duke Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Blue Devils

By Matthew Travis

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Duke Basketball
Jordan Goldwire, Duke Basketball (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Key Reserves

Jordan Goldwire, Point Guard

Hard to believe Jordan Goldwire is already going into his senior season, but it is true, and I imagine he will have a big role for the Blue Devils over the course of the 2020-21 season, even if he’s not the starting point guard.

Goldwire is a very impressive defender but needs a lot of improvement on the offensive end if he wants to be a reliable option for the Blue Devils. Despite his offensive struggles, Goldwire will still get a lot of time for Duke this season.

Wendell Moore, Small Forward

Wendell Moore enters his sophomore year coming off a season where he averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Moore will likely come off the bench in his sophomore season as Jalen Johnson will more than likely be the starting small forward for the Blue Devils.

Moore will however get significant time off the bench and will be relied upon in key moments, just as he was last season, including his clutch buzzer-beater that gave Duke the win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Even if he isn’t starting, Moore will be a significant player for the Blue Devils in 2020-21.

Jaemyn Brakefield, Power Forward

Jaemyn Brakefield is the sixth-ranked power forward in the Class of 2020 and is ranked 41st nationally. Although he likely won’t start at the four, as that will likely be Matthew Hurt, I fully expect Brakefield to get significant minutes off the bench.

Brakefield is a talented player, is impressive on the boards, and he has a surprisingly good jumper as well. Brakefield will be important for the Blue Devils off the bench and will get significant minutes behind Matthew Hurt.

Patrick Tape, Center

Patrick Tape is a transfer from Columbia University, standing at 6’10” 232lbs, who averaged 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists with 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 2018-19, which was his most recent season.

Tape could start for Duke, but I believe that role will be given to Mark Williams, but Tape will still get significant time off the bench nonetheless. Tape is impressive on the boards and also has the ability to overpower opponents at the rim.

Other bench players who could get some minutes

I also expect Joey Baker and Henry Coleman to get some time off the bench, but not nearly the amount of time the players mentioned above will get. Baker has shown flashes of being a very impressive player that Duke can rely on, but he simply hasn’t been consistent enough to get significant time for the Blue Devils.

Henry Coleman on the other hand is a freshman power forward who is about a year away from getting significant time for Duke. Coleman is the eighth-ranked power forward, and the 52nd ranked player nationally in the Class of 2020. The only problem for Coleman is that he has Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Hurt ahead of him who will take up just about all of the time.

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