Those guys look BIG...It's good to see this team has just about everything they need, post players, wings, and pgs... I did not see Grayson in the any of the pic. This rotation will be hard to crack. Coach K will probably go a solid 8... Should Antonio and Justin RS? It would not hurt... When was the last time we had a team this deep and good mixture of youth/experience.
Duke Planet: Team Practice 9/18
- Thread starter jamsession3
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Mark my words, Antonio will have a big impact at the 5 before his career is over. The kid has sound fundamentals. Once he adjusts to the speed of the game, I see a Zoubs (or more) type impact.
Antonio would probably do well with a RS. As always, expect the 8 man rotation.
The SG spot is gonna be brutal, but I have to imagine that Grayson will get some PT at PG while Thornton sits the bench. We can't ask a frosh to shell out 40 minutes every night.
I think we are actually pretty light on the older players. Will be a very interesting year.
The SG spot is gonna be brutal, but I have to imagine that Grayson will get some PT at PG while Thornton sits the bench. We can't ask a frosh to shell out 40 minutes every night.
I think we are actually pretty light on the older players. Will be a very interesting year.
We were a little light on the older players last year as well. I think that turned out ok for us.
OFC
OFC
I agree. We've got the same number of upperclassmen this season as we had last season. Last year we had 1 Senior and 2 Juniors, this year we've got 2 Seniors and 1 Junior.
Not saying it's going to be a big problem this year, only pointing it out. Though I don't think this years situation and last are comparable, we don't have the freshman talent like we did last year, and I say that knowing this years is VERY good.
Yeah, this group is going to be good and fun to watch, but the freshmen as a group do not seem to possess the same level of NBA-readiness, and it is doubtful any individual will have the ice water that Jones used as blood.
It is still going to be a fun ride.
It is still going to be a fun ride.
Well Obi is a Junior as well, and 4 of 5 returnees have the experience of playing key roles in a regional final, a final 4, and winning a championship. Obi, although not playing, got to experience everything but game time. That is a lot of big time, priceless experience. This is going to be a fun team.
DF64, I hear your point, but who on this team can get us a basket 80%-90% of the time? That's what made last year so fun. A healthy Oak, was 18/9 a night... This team will be very fun to watch, and I'm not downplaying the experience. But when I think about clutch last year, Oak just made life easy on everyone else. Teams could not afford to go one on one against him.
I know it doesn't indicate anything definitively at this point, but in those pics Ingram is working with the perimeter players. I know there was some question as to whether he would be on the wing or used as one of the classic K 4's that plays everywhere. I still think he will do both in almost equal parts.
IMO, it will be 1.)Ingram, 2.)Thornton, 3.)Allen.
But yeah, we definitely will not have a post player who can draw double and triple teams. There's a good chance we won't even have a post player who will average double figure scoring. Which isn't the end of the world, we've seen several championship teams in recent years who did not have much post scoring.
I think Ingram will be able to score all over the floor just won't be a back-to-the-basket player of course. Thornton has the speed, ball handling, and athleticism that we haven't had at the PG spot since Irving. He'll be really tough for teams to keep out of the paint, big question mark, though, will be his jumpshooting. Allen of course can shoot the ball and is an aggressive driver, he'll get a ton of points at the free throw line. I think Ingram has the potential to be a dominant scorer but we'll see, it's also possible that he could struggle to adjust to the physicality of the college game.
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Definitely ready for the season to start. Can't wait to see how this team comes together. Personally, the two players I think will be the most fun to watch will be Grayson and Derryck. Hopefully Ingram will be the player he looks like he can be.
Obi is a junior as a student, sophomore as a player. So when talking about eligibility, he is a Sophomore.
Saw some negative first impressions of Obi in another thread. Too small a sample. He may have been sick, recovering from a small injury, etc. Let's wait and see. His value is likely in situations when guys are going 100%. He is not a scorer at all, so it's hard to impress in an intrasquad practice. He may provide an edge later in the season that you won't see until real games. Or he may need more time, we'll see.
In the case of Obi, he will have to show his worth any chance he gets, or we may be seeing more of Jeter than I thought we would. I saw the comments on him as well. And even with it being early without a lot to go on, it's still concerning to hear that two walk-ons were selected to teams before he was.
I've never saw Obi playing anything more than very spot minutes this season. Let me explain.
I see both Amile and Marshall ahead of him, as well as Jeter. In addition to that, I see our four best scoring options as Ingram, Allen, Thornton and Kennard. That alone tells me there's going to be moments where Ingram is playing the "stretch" 4 and we go to a scoring lineup. As hard as I try, and based off reports throughout the summer, I just have a hard time envisioning Obi getting more than extremely limited minutes.
I see both Amile and Marshall ahead of him, as well as Jeter. In addition to that, I see our four best scoring options as Ingram, Allen, Thornton and Kennard. That alone tells me there's going to be moments where Ingram is playing the "stretch" 4 and we go to a scoring lineup. As hard as I try, and based off reports throughout the summer, I just have a hard time envisioning Obi getting more than extremely limited minutes.
Yeah, I did mean Obi as Junior/second year player as far as experience goes. Bummer to hear it looks like he won't contribute much. Figured he'd at least be solid at rebounding and D. It is great if Duke can use Ingram at the 4 at times to take advantage of mismatches. If Obi can contribute, Duke will be able to do that if/when they choose to, not because they have to. Big difference in this team's overall depth and versatility with Obi having the ability to be solid for 10 minutes a game when needed.
But that is the problem, IT SHOULD BE THE STANDARD. Never recreate the wheel, just improve on it. I could argue that Jon, Kyle, and Nolan were an absolute of 16 plus per night. Those guys just had that ability and skill. It does not have to come from the post, but Duke needs a player that every game you can write in 16pt. It will make everyone's else life easier.
Allen will score, but at who's expense? If Allen get's the ball, I expect him to attack the basket, don't pass. Allen will, for sure, go to the free throw line. He plays relentless and unconscious, love his game.
