Busting Brackets
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Duke Basketball: Impact of veterans going forward for 2020-21 season

By Garth Johnson

Mar 7, 2020; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A general overview of the Duke Blue Devils bench prior to a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2020; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A general overview of the Duke Blue Devils bench prior to a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jordan Goldwire and Joey Baker

Of the starters, these two saw the least minutes and were even eclipsed by Steward and Jeremy Roach from the bench. As the season progresses and maybe as soon as Tuesday night’s match-up with the Michigan State Spartans, the freshmen backcourt will likely, and should, assume starting duties.

After showing out in the intra-squad scrimmages for Duke basketball, much was hoped for the emergent game of Jordan Goldwire as a senior. He proved last season that he can be a valuable contributor not just on the defensive end which he is known for, but also offensively with an improved touch from beyond the arc.

There was, however, a stark difference in his production on the road and at home. He was able to channel Duke basketball’s home energy and play much better, especially on offense, in Durham. The hope is he ascends that definition of a role player and produces consistently from game to game no matter the venue. The lack of a home environment seemed to have translated into the kind of game he had against Coppin State.

He played his usual good defense, but was sloppy with the ball, didn’t really score, and didn’t seem to run Duke’s offense with a senior’s experience even if it was just the first game of the season. Goldwire has proven a reliable contributor and he will have to be for Duke basketball to succeed this year.

Joey Baker was a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up but failed to produce the thing Duke basketball needs most from him this season:  outside shooting. Again, it’s still only one game into the season so there’s plenty of time for him to find his stroke, but the Blue Devils become extremely susceptible to dribble drives and mismatch opportunities on defense when Matthew Hurt and Baker are on the floor together. It becomes untenable when Baker isn’t hitting his threes.

It wasn’t all bad though, and Joey had a nice offensive rebound and put-back to go along with an assist and three defensive rebounds in just 15 minutes. The Eagles’ guard-heavy rotation and five-out style of playing limited Baker and other Duke basketball big men, but they should rely on more as Duke gets into its schedule.

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