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2021 Predictions

Shatterthesky22

Shatterthesky22

Cameron Crazy
Dec 8, 2018
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Western NC
It’s never too early to start predicting where our guys end up next season so what do you all think? I say we finish one game worse in a much tougher ACC next season at 24-7, and take home the ACC tourney title.

Interestingly Bart Torvik has us finishing the regular season at 19-12, which is honestly laughable.

Here’s his full predictions
http://www.barttorvik.com/trankpre.php
 
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Completely forgot how bad the ACC was this year. Fairly reasonable To expect it will be much tougher next year. Given our regular season struggles we have every year, i think that’s a good prediction.
 
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I assume we will have 1-2 key players returning and improvement in AOC and Baker plus some stellar freshmen. Maybe 3rd or 4th in the ACC is reasonable. But not 19-12. Maybe 25 wins.
 
The COVID-19 will be gone in 2-3 months. As far as next year it will be interesting to see what happens with the seniors. Not that they would necessarily contribute much given K's use of them.

But, it will also be interesting to see who actually leaves for the NBA or possibly transfers. The only guys I think who are NBA worthy in terms of bonafide 1st round picks from Duke this year are Tre and Carey. I suspect Stanley will give it a go but he's a borderline pick.

Our recruits coming in are decent but I don't see any that will be great. If some guys stay behind (like Moore and Hurt) and if Baker doesn't transfer; I think we can get some minutes out of all the recruits.

We won't have a star who can take over a game, however. And, Baker will need to get his shooting consistent.

Jalen Johnson will need to be a good shooter. The big problem for Duke will be good shooting as it has been. Maybe Hurt and Moore, if they stay - which they should - will improve their outside shots and we can actually get some 3s. If that is the case we could be very good.

We also have no idea who will step up among the lower ranked recruits - Williams, Brakefield, Steward, and Coleman. Any one of those could be important players or most could wind up on the bench.
 
Lol! If we get a lot of guys back to go along with our recruiting class, there is absolutely no way we go 19-12. Even if we don’t get too many of our guys back, there is still no way we go 19-12, unless there are injuries or something.
 
youngman42 said:
The COVID-19 will be gone in 2-3 months. As far as next year it will be interesting to see what happens with the seniors. Not that they would necessarily contribute much given K's use of them.

But, it will also be interesting to see who actually leaves for the NBA or possibly transfers. The only guys I think who are NBA worthy in terms of bonafide 1st round picks from Duke this year are Tre and Carey. I suspect Stanley will give it a go but he's a borderline pick.

Our recruits coming in are decent but I don't see any that will be great. If some guys stay behind (like Moore and Hurt) and if Baker doesn't transfer; I think we can get some minutes out of all the recruits.

We won't have a star who can take over a game, however. And, Baker will need to get his shooting consistent.

Jalen Johnson will need to be a good shooter. The big problem for Duke will be good shooting as it has been. Maybe Hurt and Moore, if they stay - which they should - will improve their outside shots and we can actually get some 3s. If that is the case we could be very good.

We also have no idea who will step up among the lower ranked recruits - Williams, Brakefield, Steward, and Coleman. Any one of those could be important players or most could wind up on the bench.
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Still holding out hope Kuminga reclassifies and comes this season. That’d give us that takeover scorer we need. And who knows, maybe Tre comes back since the tourney got cancelled.
 
My updated predictions.
If Hurt comes back. Elite Eight or Sweet 16.
If Stanley comes back. Sweet 16.
If Hurt and Stanley come back. Final Four.
If only Moore comes back. First weekend.
If Vernon comes back we've got to be preseason number one, but I think he goes.
 
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pisgah101 said:
We dont have any idea what our team ends up being.. shoot we may not even have a season
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Just as the NBA took down all sports, the NFL will bring them back. There is no way that the NFL doesn’t get played this year. I just can’t see it. Goodell runs his league like a business, for better or for worse. The same reason the nfl draft will take place in a couple weeks. Nobody has any concrete idea where Covid will take this country, but outside something catastrophic, I would imagine that sports returns in September at the latest. It may not include fans (but again see goodell and see business) but sports will resume. College hoops has the luxury of being even further behind that. Obviously this is all subject to change, but I just can’t envision a world, with the brain power we have working on this, that is still quarantined come October.
 
chov1125 said:
Just as the NBA took down all sports, the NFL will bring them back. There is no way that the NFL doesn’t get played this year. I just can’t see it. Goodell runs his league like a business, for better or for worse. The same reason the nfl draft will take place in a couple weeks. Nobody has any concrete idea where Covid will take this country, but outside something catastrophic, I would imagine that sports returns in September at the latest. It may not include fans (but again see goodell and see business) but sports will resume. College hoops has the luxury of being even further behind that. Obviously this is all subject to change, but I just can’t envision a world, with the brain power we have working on this, that is still quarantined come October.
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I was being kinda tongue-in-cheek
 
Dukes season will either end in the Elite 8 or they will win the whole thing for the 4th time in school history and third time in a row in Indianapolis
 
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I like our versatility. Assuming Hurt stays we have the option of small ball. We can also go big, with Tape and Williams interchangeable at the 5. I like Williams; he's long and blocks shots but is very skinny; so it will likely take time before he is a consistent force. Hopefully we get more than one year out of him. We can also go with Roach and Steward. Moore can play a few positions. Nice team, with Hurt hopefully back we have some vets to build around. Baker will have to shoot well to stay in the rotation. As for Brakefield and Coleman; they may need to wait their turn. Johnson will get a lot of minutes at that spot as will Hurt. We have the depth if anyone goes down. This looks like a 3 seed or even a 2 seed that could do some damage in the tournament. The x-factors are how good the freshman are and how Hurt and Moore improve. Lots of options.
 
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The "middle three" positions I think you can write in pen, with Moore/Johnson/Hurt manning those spots. What needs to shake out are the bookend positions of PG and C. I think Roach emerges for the PG spot, and center will be a Williams/Tape combo. That is a big, switchable lineup, but the primary concern with that group is shooting, as Moore hasn't shown that ability consistent yet and neither Roach nor Johnson come in with a rep there. Luckily there should be two knockdown guys to bring off the bench in Baker and Steward.

This is a top ten team - not a group in that upper echelon favorite category I would have put them in had Cash returned, but they have a chance to be good. What concerns me is not knowing when they will be together as a group and begin working as a collective.
 
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I agree. Hurt coming back (hopefully) gives us some stability up front. If Steward can grab minutes from Goldwire as the season progresses that is good for us. Kid can score. Can Steward play the point?
 
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Moores free throw percentage was good this year. I think there is a chance he becomes more of a threat from outside next year, which could really open up his slashing game. As always, health will be what I wish for most.
 
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We are nowhere near being close enough to give an accurate prediction. For Duke, Hurt coming back seems like a must right now (that or a top recruit reclassifying out of nowhere). Other programs still have a lot of guys deciding to go pro or not, and even if they decide, everyone can still technically come back to school with the new rule change.

My prediction is this upcoming Duke team will be a lot like this past years. We will not be dominant, probably won't be the title favorites. We aren't gonna have multiple All-Americans and may only have 1 freshman be One-And-Done.
However, college basketball is gonna be terrible again next year (makes sense when the top 100 players leave each year) so we will definitely have a shot at a title. Next years team will have some great wins, but also some super head-scratching losses. Unfortunately we will also play the really tough ACC road schedule (at FSU, at UL, at ND etc.)
 
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Not sure where to put this, but Juzang from Kentucky just transferred to UCLA. He may have to sit out but he's applying for a waiver to play right away. UCLA is gonna be a handful the next few years. They return most of their team, although Smith just declared for the draft.
 
HuffyJB said:
The "middle three" positions I think you can write in pen, with Moore/Johnson/Hurt manning those spots. What needs to shake out are the bookend positions of PG and C. I think Roach emerges for the PG spot, and center will be a Williams/Tape combo. That is a big, switchable lineup, but the primary concern with that group is shooting, as Moore hasn't shown that ability consistent yet and neither Roach nor Johnson come in with a rep there. Luckily there should be two knockdown guys to bring off the bench in Baker and Steward.

This is a top ten team - not a group in that upper echelon favorite category I would have put them in had Cash returned, but they have a chance to be good. What concerns me is not knowing when they will be together as a group and begin working as a collective.
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In my opinion our best lineup option will be to go smaller with Johnson at the 4 and Hurt or Williams at the 5. I think a perimeter of Roach, Steward, and Moore gives us better ball handling, more speed and dribble penetration, and better shooting out on the court.
 
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Agreed. We can then send in Williams or Tape, and Coleman for a change of pace.
 
mo.st.dukie said:
In my opinion our best lineup option will be to go smaller with Johnson at the 4 and Hurt or Williams at the 5. I think a perimeter of Roach, Steward, and Moore gives us better ball handling, more speed and dribble penetration, and better shooting out on the court.
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That is without question the most effective offensive lineup, and I think will be the "closer" lineup we see most often. But the addition of Tape shows me that the staff (and probably Hurt himself) don't necessarily want Hurt guarding fives for long stretches. I think they will try to play as often as possible with him at his natural position. There will be portions of every single game where he is the biggest guy on the floor, but I don't think it will be the majority of the time.
 
Everyone seems to think hurt is back...my question is when jaemyn committed back in October I think he and the staff fully expected hurt to be 1 and done. Now you have 5 guys to occupy the 4 and 5 spots. My concern is with hurt, tape and Williams consuming most of the mins at the 4 and 5 and Jaemyn who turns 20 years old in December and consider by espn a 5 star recruit will he want to be patient and not have a big role his freshman year?
 
youknowit1 said:
Everyone seems to think hurt is back...my question is when jaemyn committed back in October I think he and the staff fully expected hurt to be 1 and done. Now you have 5 guys to occupy the 4 and 5 spots. My concern is with hurt, tape and Williams consuming most of the mins at the 4 and 5 and Jaemyn who turns 20 years old in December and consider by espn a 5 star recruit will he want to be patient and not have a big role his freshman year?
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Agreed, if Hurt stays, there will be a bunch of good players. However, things have a way of working out with player slumps, injuries (I hated typing that), etc.
 
You never know if we will add anyone else but for now, let's see how the lineup could look:

PG: Roach (PG) | Goldwire (CG)
SG: Steward (CG) | Baker (W)
SF: Moore (W) | Brakefield (W)
PF: Johnson (W) | Coleman (B)
C: Hurt (B) | Williams (B) | Tape (B)

The PG position worries me some. If Goldwire can make another step then I'll feel a lot better. Gotta love having an upper classman to help with the freshman either way though. I like Roach, but college ball is a different game for a freshman to lead the way. I love our wing rotation. Between Wendell, DJ, Jalen, Joey and Jaemyn, we have solid depth. Same goes for our bigs. If Hurt can add some weight and strength this offseason, I like him as our starting 5. He has the high recruit pedigree, will be a sophomore, can score and provides a small ball stretch 5 for Johnson to drive and kick to. Love Hurt to have a breakout year for us. Obviously my prediction for the lineup could be wrong, but I like how our guys mesh on paper. Steward seems like a sniper for us and will be perfect to help stretch the floor and provide a scoring punch, whether as a starter or 6th man. Imagine a lineup of Roach-DJ-Baker-Johnson-Hurt. Defense would be rough but 3's are deadly all day and we have missed that for a couple of years now. I'm pretty high on our team next year. I'm excited.
 
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mtzion said:
You never know if we will add anyone else but for now, let's see how the lineup could look:

PG: Roach (PG) | Goldwire (CG)
SG: Steward (CG) | Baker (W)
SF: Moore (W) | Brakefield (W)
PF: Johnson (W) | Coleman (B)
C: Hurt (B) | Williams (B) | Tape (B)

The PG position worries me some. If Goldwire can make another step then I'll feel a lot better. Gotta love having an upper classman to help with the freshman either way though. I like Roach, but college ball is a different game for a freshman to lead the way. I love our wing rotation. Between Wendell, DJ, Jalen, Joey and Jaemyn, we have solid depth. Same goes for our bigs. If Hurt can add some weight and strength this offseason, I like him as our starting 5. He has the high recruit pedigree, will be a sophomore, can score and provides a small ball stretch 5 for Johnson to drive and kick to. Love Hurt to have a breakout year for us. Obviously my prediction for the lineup could be wrong, but I like how our guys mesh on paper. Steward seems like a sniper for us and will be perfect to help stretch the floor and provide a scoring punch, whether as a starter or 6th man. Imagine a lineup of Roach-DJ-Baker-Johnson-Hurt. Defense would be rough but 3's are deadly all day and we have missed that for a couple of years now. I'm pretty high on our team next year. I'm excited.
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Between Roach, Goldwire, and Johnson I’m not real worried about the PG situation. But yeah we’ll be a solid team next year for sure.
 
No way hurt plays the 5 unless we are shooting free throws at the end or need some big buckets down the stretch.
 
I wish K would do more posession by posession Offense for Fefense subbing at the end of games when there are stoppages every possession. Perfect time to use Hurt at the 5 on offense.
 
df64 said:
I wish K would do more posession by posession Offense for Fefense subbing at the end of games when there are stoppages every possession. Perfect time to use Hurt at the 5 on offense.
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If I was Coach K would use the diagnol down pass followed by the over the top pass out swing pass to the top of the key for the pick and roll with the dribble and drive option and if not there repeat the sequence. OFC
 
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No, no, no! That's crazier than getting into a ground war in Asia. Come on Sky, get a grip! Now, if you left out the repeat sequence, you might have had me.
 
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Next years team will be a little bit different .

Duke has, Roach, Goldwire, Moore, Stewart and Johnson that can handle the ball.

With Baker coming back and possibly Hurt that’s atleast three shooters in Hurt Stewart and Baker.

The question mark truly lies in the front court and I think the five will be played by need. I think duke plays a lot of small ball and rotates Coleman , Williams, Brakefield and Hurt in between the pf and C position. Also wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore at the Sg, Johnson at SF in some situations.
 
sheyduke said:
Next years team will be a little bit different .

Duke has, Roach, Goldwire, Moore, Stewart and Johnson that can handle the ball.

With Baker coming back and possibly Hurt that’s atleast three shooters in Hurt Stewart and Baker.

The question mark truly lies in the front court and I think the five will be played by need. I think duke plays a lot of small ball and rotates Coleman , Williams, Brakefield and Hurt in between the pf and C position. Also wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore at the Sg, Johnson at SF in some situations.
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You forgot about Tape
 
Stanley wasn't necessarily an expected one-and-done, and getting some of those draft potential guys back is really what often separates really good from great. It seems like at Duke 100% of the draft potential guys always go pro, whether that is true or not.

I think that is why getting Hurt and Moore back is huge (if they both are in fact back). The only other time in the last decade plus that Duke has gotten multiple consensus top 25 players in a class to return together for a second year was with some of their class of '15 guys came back: Thornton, Jeter, and Kennard. As we know, two of those three ended up transferring, and didn't really distinguish themselves at their new destinations. Moore and Hurt are going to be much better players than those two guys. But that is crazy to think about: this is only the second time in 10+ years that Duke is getting multiple top 25 recruits back for a second year. We have to really be thankful those guys are returning as the starting points for next year's team.
 
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