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mid-season grades

DukeJim99

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Feb 17, 2015
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So, I was thinking about where guys were compared to where I thought/hoped they'd be at this point of the season and truthfully there are not a lot of guys who are at or exceeding expectations. Here are my very subjective, not well-thought-out, midseason grades for everyone. I'm not giving concessions for injuries that slowed progress, so Lively and Whitehead for example might be getting judged a little more harshly than they deserve. Also, lots of time left in the season so plenty of time to turn some of these grades around.

Let's assume a B grade is someone who has met but not exceeded expectations:

Ryan Young - A - A clear highlight with his scoring, his passing, and his effort.

Blakes - B+ - expectations weren't high for him with Roach and Proctor being ahead of him in rotation but he's had a couple of really nice games and plays good D and makes smart decisions with the ball when he gets minutes.

Flip - B - had a stretch there where he was overperforming expectations but I think has come back to earth. Being a top 5 recruit and meeting expectations, though, is nothing to scoff at.

Mitchell - B- - had a couple of great games early in the season and plays with effort, but seems to have way too many games where his stat line is like 6 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists in 25 min. That's not the level of production you want from a starter on a top 20 team.

Roach - C+ - Like Mitchell, had a couple of really nice games but overall he's not really someone we can count on consistently to score in the teens or to dish out 6-8 assists a game. Did not see the sort of improvement from year 2 to year 3 that we'd have hoped for.

Whitehead - C - he's the guy I expect most from in the second half of the season. If he doesn't average 15+ points the rest of the way and something like ten combined rebs/assts per game, we won't come close to our potential. We're seeing flashes of that now. Hope he stays in the starting lineup.

Grandison - C - expected him to shoot a bit better, to defend a bit better, to maybe avg another assist or two per game, and to earn more minutes. Still shooting 35% from 3, so definitely not bad. But a lot of his looks from 3 are wide open so you'd really hope he'd be in the low 40% range at this point.

Proctor - D+ - I swear this kid has the skills to be a top 3 guy on a team like ours, but he's not showing it. Lacking aggressiveness on offense and on the boards. Not making shots. Not really making the team better when he's on the floor. Looking for him, like whitehead, to really turn it on the second half of the season but I don't have quite as much faith in that happening as I do in Whitehead.

Lively - D - For the #1 overall recruit he has struggled mightily. I like his effort and he doesn't seem to hang his head when he only gets 12-14 min a game and that's great. But... other than rim protection he has a LOT of room to improve in all areas. And as a team our coaching staff needs to figure out how to utilize him better. I just have to believe that part of this is about us not utilizing him as we should.


Thoughts? What am I way off on here?
 
So, I was thinking about where guys were compared to where I thought/hoped they'd be at this point of the season and truthfully there are not a lot of guys who are at or exceeding expectations. Here are my very subjective, not well-thought-out, midseason grades for everyone. I'm not giving concessions for injuries that slowed progress, so Lively and Whitehead for example might be getting judged a little more harshly than they deserve. Also, lots of time left in the season so plenty of time to turn some of these grades around.

Let's assume a B grade is someone who has met but not exceeded expectations:

Ryan Young - A - A clear highlight with his scoring, his passing, and his effort.

Blakes - B+ - expectations weren't high for him with Roach and Proctor being ahead of him in rotation but he's had a couple of really nice games and plays good D and makes smart decisions with the ball when he gets minutes.

Flip - B - had a stretch there where he was overperforming expectations but I think has come back to earth. Being a top 5 recruit and meeting expectations, though, is nothing to scoff at.

Mitchell - B- - had a couple of great games early in the season and plays with effort, but seems to have way too many games where his stat line is like 6 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists in 25 min. That's not the level of production you want from a starter on a top 20 team.

Roach - C+ - Like Mitchell, had a couple of really nice games but overall he's not really someone we can count on consistently to score in the teens or to dish out 6-8 assists a game. Did not see the sort of improvement from year 2 to year 3 that we'd have hoped for.

Whitehead - C - he's the guy I expect most from in the second half of the season. If he doesn't average 15+ points the rest of the way and something like ten combined rebs/assts per game, we won't come close to our potential. We're seeing flashes of that now. Hope he stays in the starting lineup.

Grandison - C - expected him to shoot a bit better, to defend a bit better, to maybe avg another assist or two per game, and to earn more minutes. Still shooting 35% from 3, so definitely not bad. But a lot of his looks from 3 are wide open so you'd really hope he'd be in the low 40% range at this point.

Proctor - D+ - I swear this kid has the skills to be a top 3 guy on a team like ours, but he's not showing it. Lacking aggressiveness on offense and on the boards. Not making shots. Not really making the team better when he's on the floor. Looking for him, like whitehead, to really turn it on the second half of the season but I don't have quite as much faith in that happening as I do in Whitehead.

Lively - D - For the #1 overall recruit he has struggled mightily. I like his effort and he doesn't seem to hang his head when he only gets 12-14 min a game and that's great. But... other than rim protection he has a LOT of room to improve in all areas. And as a team our coaching staff needs to figure out how to utilize him better. I just have to believe that part of this is about us not utilizing him as we should.


Thoughts? What am I way off on here?
Lol
 
Whitehead will obviously continue to start. But his combined reb/assists won't be that high. Maybe around 6 or 7.
 
Interesting topic. I'll have a go.
Lively A plus. Kidding. C minus. Obviously needs to get stronger and tougher. Really need more out of him but it seems like time is running out.
Young. A plus. Kind of represents everything good about college basketball. Good student, leader, smart, and gets the most out of his talent.
Mitchell B plus. Has played better than I thought he would. Needs to be more consistent but he's been one of our main contributors. Like his moxie.
Blakes B plus Showed yesterday and the game before that he's not quite there yet. But it's a great story and he will be a leader next year.
Roach C. Has been injured, but even before that has regressed. Needs to realize he's not our first or second scoring option. Hope he gets well but seems to think he is J Will. Hope he returns this year and next. There are games he looks great but too many 2-10 type games.
Schutt and Reeves incomplete. Building blocks for the future and good team guys.
Flip B plus. Started out great, has come back to earth lately as teams have scouted his tendencies. Still a solid player having a good year.
Grandison C. Very disappointing after some promising games early. Seems to have lost his confidence. One of the guys we need more out of.
Whitehead: B plus. Slow start due to injury but coming on strong. Still lacks explosiveness after his injury but much improved since the break.
Proctor: C. Like Lively, needs to get stronger and tougher. Very skilled passer but has shot poorly. Would really benefit from year 2.
 
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Lively has an E. If this was a school grade, he’s in serious jeopardy of repeating his freshman year.
Proctor is a low D. Close to joining Lively.
Flip is a B- was an A
Mitchell is a B-
Grandison is a D
Young is an A-
Blakes is a B+
Roach is a C-
Whitehead is a C- but maybe climbing
Reeves and Schutt are in preschool

Jon and the staff? C
 
So, I was thinking about where guys were compared to where I thought/hoped they'd be at this point of the season and truthfully there are not a lot of guys who are at or exceeding expectations. Here are my very subjective, not well-thought-out, midseason grades for everyone. I'm not giving concessions for injuries that slowed progress, so Lively and Whitehead for example might be getting judged a little more harshly than they deserve. Also, lots of time left in the season so plenty of time to turn some of these grades around.

Let's assume a B grade is someone who has met but not exceeded expectations:

Ryan Young - A - A clear highlight with his scoring, his passing, and his effort.

Blakes - B+ - expectations weren't high for him with Roach and Proctor being ahead of him in rotation but he's had a couple of really nice games and plays good D and makes smart decisions with the ball when he gets minutes.

Flip - B - had a stretch there where he was overperforming expectations but I think has come back to earth. Being a top 5 recruit and meeting expectations, though, is nothing to scoff at.

Mitchell - B- - had a couple of great games early in the season and plays with effort, but seems to have way too many games where his stat line is like 6 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists in 25 min. That's not the level of production you want from a starter on a top 20 team.

Roach - C+ - Like Mitchell, had a couple of really nice games but overall he's not really someone we can count on consistently to score in the teens or to dish out 6-8 assists a game. Did not see the sort of improvement from year 2 to year 3 that we'd have hoped for.

Whitehead - C - he's the guy I expect most from in the second half of the season. If he doesn't average 15+ points the rest of the way and something like ten combined rebs/assts per game, we won't come close to our potential. We're seeing flashes of that now. Hope he stays in the starting lineup.

Grandison - C - expected him to shoot a bit better, to defend a bit better, to maybe avg another assist or two per game, and to earn more minutes. Still shooting 35% from 3, so definitely not bad. But a lot of his looks from 3 are wide open so you'd really hope he'd be in the low 40% range at this point.

Proctor - D+ - I swear this kid has the skills to be a top 3 guy on a team like ours, but he's not showing it. Lacking aggressiveness on offense and on the boards. Not making shots. Not really making the team better when he's on the floor. Looking for him, like whitehead, to really turn it on the second half of the season but I don't have quite as much faith in that happening as I do in Whitehead.

Lively - D - For the #1 overall recruit he has struggled mightily. I like his effort and he doesn't seem to hang his head when he only gets 12-14 min a game and that's great. But... other than rim protection he has a LOT of room to improve in all areas. And as a team our coaching staff needs to figure out how to utilize him better. I just have to believe that part of this is about us not utilizing him as we should.


Thoughts? What am I way off on here?
I like your analysis of Proctor very much. Scheyer has given this kid SO MUCH ROPE!!!! He can't shoot, he dribbles too much, and I constantly heard his praises sang when his announcement was made. D+, but honestly don't know if I would even give him the plus.I would give more of the actual high school senior's minutes to Blakes!!

Overall I really like it. I think Mitchell will get better, Young deserves the high ranking, and Whitehead will continue to come along. Roach's play was impacted much more by the toe than I expected, and Grandison is doing a fast fade.

Interesting point about Lively. Staff should try to tweak his role. What have we got to lose?
Flip has "come back to earth," and tends to disappear at times. Of course this Duke team does as well.

OFC
 
As I've said numerous times, there is nothing wrong with freshman playing like freshman. The problem is we are dependent on them for our success.
True, and with teams relying more and more on the portal, freshmen dominated teams are going to be less and less successful.

OFC
 
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I’m going to play devils advocate here and so I’ll take a go from worst to best.

Lively -D-, wanted to go to an F however his injury and sickness I took into account along with a block shot here or there but nothing in the rebounding or offensive department is becoming to worrisome.

Grandison-D+. He’s a fifth year senior that played in the big ten ( as some have always reminded me ). Yet he has struggled like a freshman against tough competition and I have not seen where his leadership has been a factor anywhere on the court .
Proctor-D . You see the talent , you see his potential but looks lost at times . Especially on the defensive end .
Mitchell- C+, should stay at 12 feet in and quit roaming the perimeter. He gets that ball at 12 feet and in and the kid can’t be stopped . He’s not a hybrid four. He can guard the three but his damage comes in and around the basket . Stop dribbling into defensive sets . Couldn’t go B because his low rebounding numbers and his turnovers.
Flip- C+, who’s the kid want to be . He went on fire at the start of the season to looking lost playing in the post . Stop with the spin move and ball. Him like Mitchell on the inside can do damage . Keep taking the three when your open though. Once again his turnovers and lack of rebounding lately couldn’t give a B.
Roach -C +, Given his injury I’ll leave it here but I think he’s averaging 3.2 apg with his minutes isn’t exactly what you’d like of a junior pg and leader .
Blakes -B+. He barely played last season and is a pit bull on defense and anything he gives Duke scoring wise is a plus .
Young - A+. Wasn’t high on him when he came . Thought of him as a big off the bench but Flip, Mitchell, Reeves and especially Lively can all learn from him and he’s always talking to the guys trying to keep them together.

Nothing for Schutt and Reeves. Still lost with the pulling of Reeves redshirt but I’m not a coach .

Coaching staff- C-. They played with rotations and subbing. Now it’s time to lock in a starting five and get them gelling , especially with the Roach injury . Was going to go with a B but the subbing caught up with them against BC . I’m all for a bench but the starters need time to gel on the court .
 
Mitchell- C+, should stay at 12 feet in and quit roaming the perimeter. He gets that ball at 12 feet and in and the kid can’t be stopped . He’s not a hybrid four. He can guard the three but his damage comes in and around the basket . Stop dribbling into defensive sets . Couldn’t go B because his low rebounding numbers and his turnovers.
I know you hate the way his shot looks but it's about halfway through the season and he's still shooting 46% from three. I agree about his form, but I'm definitely okay with him taking them. On the other hand, Flip needs to stop shooting anything other than a completely wide open three. Feels like he's hit 1 of his last 25 or something.

Put Mitchell at the 4 and Flip at the 5.
 
I know you hate the way his shot looks but it's about halfway through the season and he's still shooting 46% from three. I agree about his form, but I'm definitely okay with him taking them. On the other hand, Flip needs to stop shooting anything other than a completely wide open three. Feels like he's hit 1 of his last 25 or something.

Put Mitchell at the 4 and Flip at the 5.
Amen. Flip is an inside player, and must deal with it. Most of his 3s now are not even close.

OFC
 
I know you hate the way his shot looks but it's about halfway through the season and he's still shooting 46% from three. I agree about his form, but I'm definitely okay with him taking them. On the other hand, Flip needs to stop shooting anything other than a completely wide open three. Feels like he's hit 1 of his last 25 or something.

Put Mitchell at the 4 and Flip at the 5.
I actually don’t hate Mitchell’s shot . Just think he needs more lift on it . If you notice his release it’s like a missile hitting right in-front of it’s target like the guidance system is two inches off .
 
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I would run some stuff just to see if Lively can play.
You must not have seen all the tie ups he’s had. Only seven footer I’ve ever seen where guards consistently tie you up off a rebound for jump ball.
Also who’s getting the ball into the post . Young and Blakes are the only ones who can make the entry pass .
 
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I actually don’t hate Mitchell’s shot . Just think he needs more lift on it . If you notice his release it’s like a missile hitting right in-front of it’s target like the guidance system is two inches off .
It's like a line drive off a bat. Crazy, but he hits enough of 'em to keep shooting. Won't argue point though, "needs more lift."

OFC
 
Lively has an E. If this was a school grade, he’s in serious jeopardy of repeating his freshman year.
Proctor is a low D. Close to joining Lively.
Flip is a B- was an A
Mitchell is a B-
Grandison is a D
Young is an A-
Blakes is a B+
Roach is a C-
Whitehead is a C- but maybe climbing
Reeves and Schutt are in preschool

Jon and the staff? C
Fair I’d give Dariq better though. I like his game and given the injury he’s coming along alright. Lively may be a lost cause though. Christoph can watch all of his YouTube clips when he’s playing in Myanmar next year
 
So, I was thinking about where guys were compared to where I thought/hoped they'd be at this point of the season and truthfully there are not a lot of guys who are at or exceeding expectations. Here are my very subjective, not well-thought-out, midseason grades for everyone. I'm not giving concessions for injuries that slowed progress, so Lively and Whitehead for example might be getting judged a little more harshly than they deserve. Also, lots of time left in the season so plenty of time to turn some of these grades around.

Let's assume a B grade is someone who has met but not exceeded expectations:

Ryan Young - A - A clear highlight with his scoring, his passing, and his effort.

Blakes - B+ - expectations weren't high for him with Roach and Proctor being ahead of him in rotation but he's had a couple of really nice games and plays good D and makes smart decisions with the ball when he gets minutes.

Flip - B - had a stretch there where he was overperforming expectations but I think has come back to earth. Being a top 5 recruit and meeting expectations, though, is nothing to scoff at.

Mitchell - B- - had a couple of great games early in the season and plays with effort, but seems to have way too many games where his stat line is like 6 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists in 25 min. That's not the level of production you want from a starter on a top 20 team.

Roach - C+ - Like Mitchell, had a couple of really nice games but overall he's not really someone we can count on consistently to score in the teens or to dish out 6-8 assists a game. Did not see the sort of improvement from year 2 to year 3 that we'd have hoped for.

Whitehead - C - he's the guy I expect most from in the second half of the season. If he doesn't average 15+ points the rest of the way and something like ten combined rebs/assts per game, we won't come close to our potential. We're seeing flashes of that now. Hope he stays in the starting lineup.

Grandison - C - expected him to shoot a bit better, to defend a bit better, to maybe avg another assist or two per game, and to earn more minutes. Still shooting 35% from 3, so definitely not bad. But a lot of his looks from 3 are wide open so you'd really hope he'd be in the low 40% range at this point.

Proctor - D+ - I swear this kid has the skills to be a top 3 guy on a team like ours, but he's not showing it. Lacking aggressiveness on offense and on the boards. Not making shots. Not really making the team better when he's on the floor. Looking for him, like whitehead, to really turn it on the second half of the season but I don't have quite as much faith in that happening as I do in Whitehead.

Lively - D - For the #1 overall recruit he has struggled mightily. I like his effort and he doesn't seem to hang his head when he only gets 12-14 min a game and that's great. But... other than rim protection he has a LOT of room to improve in all areas. And as a team our coaching staff needs to figure out how to utilize him better. I just have to believe that part of this is about us not utilizing him as we should.


Thoughts? What am I way off on here?
Grandison is a D. Whitehead is a B+, Flip C+. Coaching C+. OFC
 
You must not have seen all the tie ups he’s had. Only seven footer I’ve ever seen where guards consistently tie you up off a rebound for jump ball.
Also who’s getting the ball into the post . Young and Blakes are the only ones who can make the entry pass .
Flip is also subject to tie-ups with shorter players, especially down low. OFC
 
Based on expectations coming into the year:

Roach: D+. Our captain needs to be the best player on the floor and one of the best players in the ACC day in and day out, he has not been that. Pray the toe gets better.
Proctor: D+. He’s still so raw. Just seems like he needs more reps/experience, the talent is shown in glimpses, really hope we get a year 2 of him.
Mitchell: B+. Remember, he wasn’t a top 10 shoe in NBA guy, he was a lower tier 5 star. He plays so hard.
Flip: B. Was an A until ACC play started. He’s starting to regress. Is a fantastic 3rd or 4th option on a great team, we need Whitehead and Roach to take control of the offense and let Flip fill in.
Lively: F. I mean, it can’t get any worse.

Young: A+. He’s been so good offensively. Drives me crazy when teams lob it over him on defense because he can’t jump, and our ceiling isn’t super high with him, but whatever, he’s been amazing on offense.
Grandison: D. I think he should be cut out the rotation to be honest.
Blakes: A-. Plays so hard for such a limited player. If he can make the stand still open 3 than he is very valuable.
Whitehead: Incomplete. Needs to average 15-20 ppg moving forward for use to be any good.
 
Young- A+

Lively- F.. let’s be serious kid is the number 1 player in the class and isn’t even at chase Jeter level

Proctor- D-.. I was VERY high on him coming in and extremely disappointed

Roach- C-. I was never big on roach but being the recruit level he was and playing how much he’s played going into a jr year where it’s HIS team, hard to say anything outside of being disappointed. He has been hurt so if he comes back healthy this could most certainly change

Flip- B-.. he’s been good a lot but that’s crashing down taking the entire year in consideration I’ll give him this but trending toward a C- quickly

Whitehead-. biggest question mark but we’ll sit him at C and TBD

Mitchell- C. He looked capable of so much but hasn’t shown it

Blake’s- B+. Better then expected but still not necessarily good

Grandison- F.. brought in to hit a couple threes a game.. he can’t even do what his job is supposed to be.


Coaches- D. Beginning of year I thought we looked solid with game plans but we’ve made no adjustments since December’s started
 
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Rough grades. Haha. You'd think we were 4-12.
(when did I become the positive person on this board)
If Pitt beats us at home that will be discouraging. Think we need that W.
 
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I'm pleasantly surprised with Young and Mitchell. Flip is about what I expected. No one else has been as good as I expected. I rate the coaching grade "incomplete" because I haven't figured out yet how much is the players and how much is the coaches.

I don't know where that grades out but that's what I think of the team so far.
 
Wow...according to RR Texas has reached out to John Calipari to be their next coach!
(still a rumor at this point)
Regarding Proctor Jon clearly sees something in him. Maybe he is throwing Proctor in the deep end hoping he rises. I like Blakes but I don't think we will go very far with him as our starting pg.
 
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Rough grades. Haha. You'd think we were 4-12.
(when did I become the positive person on this board)
If Pitt beats us at home that will be discouraging. Think we need that W.
Agree. Most people are only giving two players a grade higher than a C and coaching a C or less. You would think we would be a 500 team at best.
 
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Roach-B-: He's hurt, but there have been way too many games with him forcing the issue. I'd say I am closer to a B with him, though, because he has had several clutch moments.

Blakes-A-: Did any of us expect the jump that Jaylen has made? I am thrilled with his play of late too. He has his limitations, but he will give it his all. How can anyone not love the motor on this kid?

Proctor-C-: Proctor has had moments of brilliance, but man, he has looked awful for about the last month. He's weak with the ball, his shot seems broken, and he is overmatched against almost every other guard he faces. This team misses Keels.

Whitehead-B-: His injury set him back, but he is starting to come on. He's our most talented player, and with each week, he seems to be growing into the player we all thought he could potentially be. I expect him to be very special by year's end, and his grade should only improve.

Grandison-D+: I expected so much more out of a 5th-year guy. Shey, you may have been right all along, buddy.

Mitchell-B: Mark is a bully out there when he wants to be, and we need more of that from him. Goofy release and all, he's a swiss army knife of a player, and I am pleased with what I have seen from him though I think he needs to be more aggressive at times he disappears.

Flip-B+: Earlier in the season, I would've probably given Flip an A-, but of late, he seems to have hit that proverbial freshmen wall. He forces too much inside, isn't strong with the ball, his passing hasn't been as crisp, and he's terrible at inbounding the basketball. Not sure what has happened to his jump shot either. That said, when it was on the line against BC, he stepped up, hit a big shot, and made two huge free throws. Despite the play of late, he has been clutch for us in big moments throughout the year.

Young-A: Ryan has far exceeded all of my expectations. He's a dog at times down low, a good rebounder, a decent defender, plays hard and is a vocal leader on the floor. What more could you ask for from him?

Lively-D-: I don't want to dog on this kid, but he's one of the worst-looking #1 recruits I have ever seen. Trying not to be hyperbolic when making statements about him, I have just seen nothing from him that shows me he is ready to play Division One ball, much less the NBA. I know the injury set him back, but we've passed the point where that's an excuse. I was high on the kid's rebounding, shot-blocking, and defensive ability. And he's a liability with all three. At this point, what does it hurt to play Reeves?

Catchings/Schutt/Reeves-INC: I would need to see more from them both; I think Reeves is a year away, and Schutt has looked lost when he's out there. That said, so do Proctor and Grandison. Is it any different playing Schutt to see if he can generate some offense when we're struggling? Catchings is there to be an old body in practice, and we thank him for his service.

Coaching-B: I'm not as hard on the coaches as some are. We're 16 games in, have struggled at times, but are still 12-4. Still, time to right the ship with some of the issues we've seen on the floor. Plus, the injuries have consistently thwarted our game plans time and time again. I think Jon is the man for the job, even though many don't, and I do believe he will change a lot of minds when all is said and done.
 
Oh, for sure, and it looks like Roach is probably at least out for tomorrow's game. We need him healthy, so I say sit him for the next week, win or lose, and hopefully, he's ready to come back next week.
 
Something on Lively: he wasn’t the true #1 recruit for his class. Times are changing: the best 3 recruits didn’t go to college, all G-League, and that is not factoring in Wembayana who some say is the best prospect since Lou Alcindor. These sites like 247 don’t factor in the G League kids when ranking them.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a massive bust. UK in 2016ish had a guy Skal Labissiere who was #1 or 2 depending on the site and he was as bad as Lively, still went late first round, Lively will only be here 1 year, and don’t think he will provide a Duke much at all sadly. But he was never the TRUE #1 2 or 3 prospect in his class.
 
Something on Lively: he wasn’t the true #1 recruit for his class. Times are changing: the best 3 recruits didn’t go to college, all G-League, and that is not factoring in Wembayana who some say is the best prospect since Lou Alcindor. These sites like 247 don’t factor in the G League kids when ranking them.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a massive bust. UK in 2016ish had a guy Skal Labissiere who was #1 or 2 depending on the site and he was as bad as Lively, still went late first round, Lively will only be here 1 year, and don’t think he will provide a Duke much at all sadly. But he was never the TRUE #1 2 or 3 prospect in his class.

Ahh then he’s the worst #4 recruit of all time
 
Something on Lively: he wasn’t the true #1 recruit for his class. Times are changing: the best 3 recruits didn’t go to college, all G-League, and that is not factoring in Wembayana who some say is the best prospect since Lou Alcindor. These sites like 247 don’t factor in the G League kids when ranking them.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a massive bust. UK in 2016ish had a guy Skal Labissiere who was #1 or 2 depending on the site and he was as bad as Lively, still went late first round, Lively will only be here 1 year, and don’t think he will provide a Duke much at all sadly. But he was never the TRUE #1 2 or 3 prospect in his class.
The ones you are talking about that entered into the gleague ignite already declared before the end of the rankings . So yes , Lively was pinned at number 1 or 2.
The issue with rankings is a lot of people do not look at the scouting or recruiting reports . Lively was never thought to be an offensive player at all. It was his length on defense and rebounding on defense that got him his ranking . Then came questions about his motor snd willingness to effect the game . That and he stayed around the perimeter to much . Ski came from a fiba background so they are not comparable in my opinion . You can’t even bring up the French kid . He’s on a different level and was never going to college .
 
Roach C+
Proctor C-
Blakes B
Mitchell A-
Flip A-
Lively F
Young A
Grandison D
Whitehead C+ (since return)
Coach Scheyer C

This board A+ (With exception of the Lounge which, like Bluto from Animal House, is a 0.0 GPA)

Wow, glad I’m not a teacher…..
 
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I want to add to my previous rankings. I left out Blakes, who is playing at the very best of his abilities right now. We didn't expect much of anything from him and he's not a star but a productive contributor.

Also I'm done bad mouthing Likely. The kid just isn't very talented for this level but he's trying as hard as he can. Who among us wouldn't sulk if we were struggling like he is after all the hype? I wish nothing but the best for him.

I am a little surprised the coaches aren't giving Reeves a few minutes here and there. He and Schutt can't do much worse for about 4 minutes each than the starters are doing.
 
Ryan Young..A, Flip A-, Mitchell B, Blakes B, Roach B-, Proctor C, Dariq C, Sheys boy D, Lively F and isn't even accepted into summer school. Jon C-
 
We can all agree Lively shouldn't have been the top recruit. But he's probably hearing that from everyone. He probably is lacking in confidence at this point. Part of the frustration for me is I suspect he is OAD anyway. If Young got injured i think our season would go south in a hurry. I still think Lively could surprise. He won't be a stud this year, but he should at least give us a little more than he's giving us.
 
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Keels would have been huge for this team, that one really sucks. I get that at a program like Duke some guys are almost forced out: see Hurt who wouldn’t have started on last years team. But..there was no competition for the starting SG spot and one would think he could make more $ with NIL than the G-league. Proctor then probably waits 1 more year or goes somewhere else. Keels is exactly what we need: a big time scorer.

It will be interesting to see who we can retain this offseason. We are bringing in a nice class next year, but Mgbako is probably the only elite guy who will definitely start. So starting positions could be available for returning guys.
 
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Keels would have been huge for this team, that one really sucks. I get that at a program like Duke some guys are almost forced out: see Hurt who wouldn’t have started on last years team. But..there was no competition for the starting SG spot and one would think he could make more $ with NIL than the G-league. Proctor then probably waits 1 more year or goes somewhere else. Keels is exactly what we need: a big time scorer.

It will be interesting to see who we can retain this offseason. We are bringing in a nice class next year, but Mgbako is probably the only elite guy who will definitely start. So starting positions could be available for returning guys.
Foster and McCain will get starting minutes . Foster is NBA ready .
How was Keels a big time scorer? He was hit or miss in between games .
It’s simply players choice . I don’t think anyone is bad mouthing Lively . What we are saying is nothing what NBA scouts are watching and thinking . It’s not his confidence IMO. It’s his actual game in general . It’s what happens when your no longer the tallest or strongest on the court.
 
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