NCAA Basketball: Updated early top-25 rankings for 2021-22 after NBA Draft deadline
434. . . . Blue Devils . 7. team
From a roster standpoint, Duke’s offseason has actually been fairly quiet. The NBA Draft decisions were made early on, with leading scorer and rebounder Matthew Hurt going pro, along with DJ Steward and Jalen Johnson gone as well. The more notable moves came from a few role players transferring out, including starting point guard Jordan Goldwire and freshman bench bigs Henry Coleman and Jaemyn Brakefield.
The Blue Devils only added one transfer this offseason, forward/center Theo John. With 88 total starts at Marquette, the 6’9 and 245-pound big man adds needed experience and defense to the frontcourt rotation, along with sophomore center Mark Williams and top-10 incoming recruits, Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin.
The backcourt should be just fine as well, led by rising sophomore guard Jeremy Roach, along with five-star shooting guard recruit Trevor Keels, and top-100 guard Jaylen Blakes. Both Wendell Moore and Joey Baker are wing scorers and shooters that should have a larger role next season as well.
There’s not a ton of depth but if the star freshmen are as good as advertised, they’ll be top-10 caliber next season. And with this being head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last season at Duke after 46 years and five national championships, there will be a ton of pressure on them to succeed.