Duke Basketball: 3 potential takeaways if Blue Devils get Jacob Grandison
By Joey Loose
The current state of the roster
Last season, Duke marched to the Final Four in Mike Krzyzewski’s 42nd and final season with the program. Freshman phenoms Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels, and AJ Griffin played important roles on a team that was brilliant at times and dominant in the ACC. All three of those players are off to the NBA and gone, and they aren’t the only ones. Center Mark Williams has moved on, as has Wendell Moore Jr., while Theo John’s eligibility has run out.
New coach Jon Scheyer loses a ton of talent but has completely reloaded this team, potentially with even more young talent. First and foremost, junior guard Jeremy Roach returns as the best player from last year’s Final Four team. Some of that depth returns, but the big focus is on a highly-touted freshman class. Among that new class is a slew of 5-star recruits, highlighted by top recruits Dereck Lively II, Dariq Whitehead, and Kyle Filipowski. Fellow 5-star Mark Mitchell will also play a major role on this team, while 4-star guard Jaden Schutt adds needed depth at guard.
The Blue Devils also landed former Northwestern big man Ryan Young for experience and depth, but Grandison would be an even more important piece on this team. The roster is fresh with potential and freshman talent, especially in the paint, but there’s certainly a hole left to fill. If anything, this team could use a bit more veteran leadership and outside scoring, with most of the 3-point shooters from last year moving on to the NBA.