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5 vs 5 Uncut

DukeNation12

Recruit
Nov 14, 2017
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Initial thoughts:

Duke is going to be CRAZY DEEP!

Legit 10-11 deep....with 8-9 legit starters.

Roach/JGold/Wendell/Jalen/Hurt + DJ/Williams/Baker/JBrake..Colemen/Tape

Mark looked very good out there...wont be surprised at all to see him starting opening night. All 3 guards showed what they can do. Jalen will be super exciting in transition. Matt has bulked up, should help a lot. Not sure what to make of Moore just yet. Will he be willing to shoot this season? Brakefield will surprise many next season. Baker has a chance to be one of the best shooters in the country. If Coleman gets his chance he could shine....LOVE what he will bring to Duke over the years he will be there. Tape will provide some nice veteran presence. Soooo many different lineup combos for K and the staff!

There wont be much of a drop off at all when guys will DJ/Mark/Baker and JBrake come in. All are talented in their our unique ways. We will most likely see a variety of different starting lineups this next season. Will be interesting to see which 5 will separate themselves come late winning time-and hitting FTs late to close a game.

LOVE this years squad....a lot of running up and down crazy fast paced! They should score a ton of pts and have some potential to be really good on defense as well with some versatile players. Cant wait for MSU!
 
I came away very impressed with Joey. Hopefully he continues to progress.

Thought Roach looked very under control in the clips He was shown in .

Brakefield can really play, hopefully there are opportunities for him to showcase his game.
 
No question in my mind Goldwire starts with one of the freshman. He is the calm experienced guard we need and his skills no longer lag behind.

I'm still not sold on Hurt. I wonder how he'll get that flat footed shot off and he won't be a factor in a running game.

#15 looked active and energetic. I think he'll be a big factor!

In general, it looks like an exciting team with plenty of promise and competition for playing time.
 
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New Duke basketball to watch?? WOO HOOO!!!!

Agreed Goldwire starts at least early in the season, and IMO it's his job to lose. He's the 2020-21 version of Matt Jones.

Hurt definitely looks so much stronger.

Loved seeing Joey shooting with confidence.

Oh yeah, and it seems we are have bunch of new guys who can ball! We are blessed to be Duke fans, what another fun season we are about to watch.

Let's Go Duke!!
 
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JBrake is my guy this season....Goldy...Moore...JJ...Hurt...Williams......to start, but to me the only one thats 100% game to game is JJ.....it will be fun to watch
 
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I’d be rather stunned if Roach isn’t starting day 1. Not saying Goldwire couldn’t also be there but I’d be shocked if Roach isn’t
 
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It could come down to either Hurt or Williams starting, depending on whether Hurt can defend and rebound. I think Roach or Steward will start, then Goldwire, Moore, JJ and Hurt/Williams. But then again, I am not high on Hurt right now.
 
Everyone looked good. It was hard to tell as everyone was scoring at will but we seem very athletic. Williams looked good and so did Tape. The 5 shouldn't be a problem. Hurt and Baker were shooting well. Goldwire very solid, Roach very athletic and a little out of control at times. Moore hitting a bunch of shots was nice. Steward has a flashy game perhaps will be our 6th man along with Baker. Williams does not look soft at ALL.
 
This team will be deep, athletic, and talented. Tough to say who starts based off of 10 minutes of footage. I'd say Jalen, Hurt, and Moore are locks. I'd go so far to say that Roach may need to start with Goldwire. Start the year with Roach, Goldwire, Moore, Jalen, and Hurt? Or will we see Goldwire, Moore, Jalen, Hurt, and Tape or Williams out there at the start? How will we look defensively with that first line up? Hurt has bulked up, but has his D improved? That first step was slow last year. Baker is the guy I think may be the hardest to keep off the floor coming off the bench.
 
Mark Williams looks active and athletic. However good he becomes will determine this Duke teams ceiling IMO. I’m still thinking we could see a wide range of outcomes for how his season goes.

It’s obvious we got a lot of good players. Until I actually see it, I still say K goes 8 guys (maybe 9 if fouls are an issue) in the big games when the chips are down. Brakefield really intrigues me, hopefully him and Joey can be instant offense off the bench. When is the last time Duke had 2 wing scorers they brought off the bench? I cant think of one.
 
Mark Williams looks active and athletic. However good he becomes will determine this Duke teams ceiling IMO. I’m still thinking we could see a wide range of outcomes for how his season goes.

It’s obvious we got a lot of good players. Until I actually see it, I still say K goes 8 guys (maybe 9 if fouls are an issue) in the big games when the chips are down. Brakefield really intrigues me, hopefully him and Joey can be instant offense off the bench. When is the last time Duke had 2 wing scorers they brought off the bench? I cant think of one.
I like the idea of DJ, Baker and Brakefield bringing a ton of punch off the bench. Gun to my head i have to believe a lineup of Roach, Moore, JJ, Hurt and probably Williams start. That team doesn’t have the outside firepower that we have with DJ and Baker coming in. Gives us so much versatility.
 
I like the idea of DJ, Baker and Brakefield bringing a ton of punch off the bench. Gun to my head i have to believe a lineup of Roach, Moore, JJ, Hurt and probably Williams start. That team doesn’t have the outside firepower that we have with DJ and Baker coming in. Gives us so much versatility.

The variety of line ups we will see this season could be more than I would've originally thought. Going to be fun watching K tinker and play with different groups out there. The bench is deep, talented, and versatile. We're not relying on just a few guys to get it done either. I think we could see several guys show up in end of game situations. Unlike in year's past when we had to go thru one or two guys. This team will be more like last season's. Hurt is my biggest question mark. He's bulked up, but has the defense improved? I don't doubt his scoring abilities, just his consistency on defense.
 
I'm with Liftee. Goldwire must play. You have to forget where a player is rated in high school, what you paid for a stock, where you drafted a fantasy football player,etc. Hurt didn't look good. He wasn't playing hard, looked out of shape, and played no defense
 
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When's the last time Duke had 5-6 legit ball handlers on a team?? Who can either initiate offense or grab a board and make something happen. A lot of playmakers on this years team!!

Roach/JGold/DJ/Moore/Jalen/JBrake
 
Hurt better play hard or Brakefield may start over him. Guy's playing with a chip on his shoulder and looks like he's underrated.
I’d have to imagine that Hurt has one on his shoulder as well. He’s also and old soph, and will have experience plus more opportunities. I do agree with you though (and one reason i love Brakefield) that he’s got a huge chip in his shoulders as well. I just don’t see him beating out Hurt for minutes. I could see it playing out that he moves Matt to the five more and he plays with Jalen who would be fun on the court together.
 
We will not platoon, I hope K never platoons. Platooning very well cost UK the 2015 title which was excellent for us. However, just how good could our "second five" be as a unit?
Goldwire
Steward
Baker
Brakefield
Tape

Coleman 6th man.

I understand the guards would need a backup, Buckmire I guess?? Regardless, is that a middle of the pack ACC team? I think it could be.
 
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Count me in the camp who doesn't love the idea of a platoon. I also don't see any way Roach doesn't start at the point. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing K run Roach and Goldwire together in the backcourt, seeing as how they each bring something different to the table. I loved was a fan of the JWill and Duhon 2 point guard backcourt and also Hurley and McCaffrey on the first title team.
 
The thing about Goldwire is he brings experience to a very inexperienced unit (Hurt and Moore haven't played a tournament game) and he brings defensive toughness which 175 pound freshmen are unlikely to have at first. Remember Tre Jones against Winston his freshman season?
 
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The thing about Goldwire is he brings experience to a very inexperienced unit (Hurt and Moore haven't played a tournament game) and he brings defensive toughness which 175 pound freshmen are unlikely to have at first. Remember Tre Jones against Winston his freshman season?
I agree he brings experience and an absolute toughness. I don’t agree that was the case With Tre vs Winston. Tre was the best On ball defender in the country that year- Winston was the best Push off, hold and grab pg in the country. Can’t do much about that.
 
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Chris, I know what you mean. Except Jackson might have been a little more multi-talented!

Who sees Goldwire on the Duke bench in a few years? Perhaps as an assistant to Coach Scheyer.
 
Chris, I know what you mean. Except Jackson might have been a little more multi-talented!

Who sees Goldwire on the Duke bench in a few years? Perhaps as an assistant to Coach Scheyer.
I do not remember Goldwire being an accomplished distributor of the ball. That said, there definitely will be games where he should start because of his defensive toughness. Roach needs to be the point.
 
Goldwire definitely looks like a man out there, he's cut. It's not complicated with him, the amount of playing time he gets will be determined on can he make the wide open stand-still 3? He did last year, he did not his first 2 years. Was last year an anomaly or did he actually improve his stroke that much?
 
If Goldwire's shot can go down he could make another big jump. I don't think he has peaked and think he has a lot of upside. Playing with/against Tre Jones for 2 years is quite an education. To me Brakefield looked better than Johnson. It is a small sample size I know, just one scrimmage. Joey looks like he could be a leader along with Goldwire. If he plays like that he will be our super 6th man. Wasn't that impressed with Hurt but again it was just one scrimmage. Weight gain or not he does not seem to like going inside. (although he did hit some shots at the end) Roach showed a nice ability to penetrate to the rim. I was wrong about Williams; he is strong and further along than I thought.
 
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