Duke Basketball: Potential impact if Dariq Whitehead’s injury is serious

1. Getting Jacob Grandison already paying off

Even while having someone like Whitehead on the roster, Duke still was on the lookout for a veteran guard that could shoot. They were able to land a 6th-year transfer in Grandison, who averaged 9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, and 2.3 apg in 25 mpg and 23 starts at Illinois. More importantly, he shot 41% from three-point range.

Even before the injury to Whitehead, there was a chance that Grandison would start on opening night for Duke Basketball. The shooting guard is considered to be fairly open, with Grandison, four-star shooting guard prospect Jaden Schutt, and four-star combo guard Tyrese Proctor among the candidates.

But now, the small forward position is potentially in question. Whitehead was projected to take around 30 mpg there but that’s wide open. Look for Grandison to take the majority of the minutes if the freshman wing can’t go and there’s also Cale Catchings, a 6’6 transfer small forward from Harvard. He’s capable of playing spot minutes for Duke and likely will to start out the season but it’ll be Grandison that is the key perimeter player to watch.

There’s also a chance that Mark Mitchell, another five-star freshman prospect coming in, will get minutes at the three-spot. He’s a 6’8 forward that is at best playing at the four but is capable of being on the wing. There would be some shooting concerns in that type of lineup but overall, there’s clearly enough depth for the Blue Devils to survive not having Whitehead or having a limited version of him.