it’s official welcome Jacob Grandison to Duke. Let’s go
Potential portal players
- Thread starter pisgah101
- Start date
Very happy. This kid will start, for at least the early season.
Grandison to Duke!!!! Hot damn!!!
OFC
OFC
So much for the Duke can't get good transfers in the one and done era theory. Just getting Proctor for Keels and Baker made me a bit nervous. Now we are good to go. Now we can bring Proctor along slowly. Love that we have Young for the frontcourt and Grandison for the backcourt. No more complaining from me; we have reloaded and I like our roster.
Duke needs his scoring. I've only seen Lively a couple of times. He looks great, but he doesn't score much at all. Roach won't score a lot. Need easy points . You can count on low double figures scoring every night without playing huge minutes. 12 to 13 points in 25 minutes is just what Duke needs
The Illinois fans seem to like him as well. Seems like a good kid. Maybe even a better fit than Green, who probably would have taken a lot of shots. Is a decent defender as well, who can play the 2, 3 or 4. He also averaged nearly 4 rebounds per game.
Last edited:
You guys need to start believing in my sources 😬
Grandison is not really a game changer, but a very, very solid, 5th year guy who will provide stability in the backcourt. Exactly what we needed. He has already started for a good Big 10 team (about 2/3 of last year) so no questions about the competition. He and Young are both guys who could put up double digits if given the minutes. He is kind of what we hoped Baker would be. And a better defender. His highlights reminded me of Matt Jones, perhaps with a better mid range game. Seeing him hit 3s at Indiana, Michigan State and Michigan brought tears to my experience loving eyes haha. Short of any surprises the first 3 off the bench will be one of Proctor/ Grandison, Mitchell and Young. That is a very solid top 8. Is 22nd on Andy Katz's list of super seniors. Nice!
Last edited:
I've never heard Andy Katz quoted.🤔🤠. It's worse than the semester hood jokes
Glad they came through this time! Seriously though, 41% from 3 and being 24 years old is needed. Should blend well with all the talent coming in. Today was a good day.
Ha I'm no Katz fan either. My point is we probably haven't had a top 25 senior since Grayson. Maybe DeLaurier on upside, but they probably assumed he would not foul every 20 seconds.
Yes. No one should complain about Baker. Sure, he didn’t have a career we all wanted him to have. But, he was committed to the program. In an era where many want to get court time, he stuck it out.
If anyone is a true representative of “The Brotherhood,” it’s Joey Baker.
Moore as well. A top 25 guy that could have been a second round pick but stayed 3 years. Honestly gave us a lot more than Baker did. Guys like Baker and Goldwire stayed 4 years and gave their all to the program.
Will have a solid 8 man rotation now. Chances of having a good run in March just went up. When needed, Duke can play a viable small ball lineup now. Looking forward to the season.
I've probably said this too many times. My friend is an NC State grad. His daughter was a friend of Joey Baker. He said that Baker is the nicest young man he's ever met. Baker helped my friend get Christmas decorations from the attic, jump start the car, whatever was needed and always with a smile.
I hate hearing him associated with Michigan and Georgia. I hope that he drops down a level and averages 15 points per game
I hate hearing him associated with Michigan and Georgia. I hope that he drops down a level and averages 15 points per game
Joey is a good kid - I agree I hope he goes smaller, gets burn and kicks ass.
I have to say, given the mass exodus (maybe the worst ever at Duke with perhaps 5 first round picks leaving plus Theo and Baker) Jon has done a remarkable job playing this. We were in a bad position with a top rated recruiting class coming in (not bad in of itself but bad with regard to getting transfers). The fact that we got Young, Catchings, Grandison and then Proctor to reclass was perhaps the best way we could have handled this. We have 2 5th year seniors who definitely will be in the rotation and maybe even 3. These guys are experienced role players who don't need 15 shots a game. It is not revisionist history to suggest Green may have been a bad fit. I've been grumpy the last few weeks given the way things played out but Jon gets an A plus this offseason for what he has done. Bravo.
Last edited:
Yup. On paper, Jon has done a bang up job his first year. Plenty to be excited for!
Plus the Proctor move seems smarter when coupled with an experienced transfer. We got even younger with Proctor but this balances it out.
**I just found out that Grandison had a shoulder injury last year, but still started 23 of 30 games. Him and Roach are my favorite players already. (I like experience as you have probably guessed)
**I just found out that Grandison had a shoulder injury last year, but still started 23 of 30 games. Him and Roach are my favorite players already. (I like experience as you have probably guessed)
Last edited:
Going to be interesting for sure . In an ideal game . You would see Roach, Grandison, Whitehead, Flip and lively start leaving, Mitchell, Proctor, Young ,Catchings and Schutt/Blake’s coming off the bench .
I could see a situation where Jon is looking for an offense to defense rotation . Practice will be intense in the back court .
I could see a situation where Jon is looking for an offense to defense rotation . Practice will be intense in the back court .
Shey I think you are spot on about "intense" practices, especially amongst the backcourt. Brian Horace, a Duke beat writer yesterday identified no less than 6 Duke backcourt contenders for PT: Roach, Grandison, Whitehead, Proctor, Schutt and Blakes.
All those guys bring various skill sets. Plus their sizes range fairly widely giving us some unique matchup options. I can see Whitehead playing some two guard. However right now FWIW, project Jeremy at point, Grandison at SG, Whitehead at SF, Filipowski at PF and Lively in the middle. Some really good depth on that bench!!! OFC
Great weekend for Duke. Experience and shooting. Getting another transfer was a must otherwise we might have been talented but too young. While Grandison is probably not as good a scorer as Green, he can still fill it up and is a decent defender. Green was not. He also has a nice mid range game and can take it to the hoop. Grandison is also a better scorer than Ramey despite similar stats. (I believe Ramey played more) He was a role player at Illinois so fitting in with the team should not be an issue. As for Schutt and Blakes, they will either wait their turn or they won't. If you are going to be a final four type program you can't worry about recruiting over top 75-100 type guys. At least the way we do it. My guess is Schutt will get some time, although both those guys will probably not play much in ACC unless we have injuries. Blakes will get a shot as well. But if everyone is healthy one of those two at best crack the rotation.
Last edited:
Good stuff Chris as always! Enjoy your insights into our Blue Devils. I could see Jon going at least 10 deep at start of season, perhaps 11. The way I see it now, Mitchell and Proctor are probably 6th and 7th men, but essentially could be counted as starters. OFC
Agreed. Add Young and that is a balanced bench, with a C, a F and a G. If Jon decides to go deeper we have 11 guys who could potentially contribute, but that 8 is pretty set. Young will get time as the only backup big. Proctor could play either guard spot, and Mitchell could be a 3 or a 4.
Amen!!! BTW, I just have a feeling we will get more production out of Young than we realize. I think he could make a real contribution to our bigs!!! OFC
I love Young. he's a bit slow, but very skilled. He's probably capable of playing full games if needed. (if foul trouble or injuries.) But he's probably a perfect 15 mpg guy. Theo was somewhat limited by injury issues. Young does foul a bit, but so did Theo.
I think it’s safe to say that Blake’s and Schutt will be competing for the remaining minutes in the backcourt.
Roach/Proctor/Blake’s -pg
Proctor/Grandison / Schutt- Combo/sg
Whitehead/Catchings -sf
Flip/Mitchell or you could switch them
Lively/ Young
I see that being the rotation. Freshman are going to get into some foul trouble . Dukes never stayed at a ten man rotation and don’t see that changing this year. I can see Grandison starting but him and Proctor could see 20-25 minutes both starter minutes.
Roach/Proctor/Blake’s -pg
Proctor/Grandison / Schutt- Combo/sg
Whitehead/Catchings -sf
Flip/Mitchell or you could switch them
Lively/ Young
I see that being the rotation. Freshman are going to get into some foul trouble . Dukes never stayed at a ten man rotation and don’t see that changing this year. I can see Grandison starting but him and Proctor could see 20-25 minutes both starter minutes.
On DBR they are debating whether Baker is as good as Grandison. I like Baker but dear God no.
But it’s a good debate . Grandison started at Holy Cross scoring 14ppg then moved to a bigger school after realizing he could play at a bigger level. Yet even there it was only 9ppg . Not a small difference but still a five point dip. No one can honestly say if Bakers projection would have been different if he went to a smaller school before playing at Duke and being over recruited for four years .
In fairness that place is full of a bunch of lunatics. I was banned for saying the sars co v2 vaccine is effective for no more than 8-12 months - was told I was a tin foil wearer for stating an obvious fact 😂
No it’s not lol
at Illinois he was hampered by injury and wasn’t the top scoring option. Baker couldn’t sniff the floor at Duke.
Wonder why? You had Reddish , Barrett, Stanley, Moore,O’Connel,Moore, Stewart ,O’Connel and Moore and Keels . He wasn’t getting on the floor before any of them. Baker wasn’t ever going to be the top scoring option at Duke either . He had hip surgery at the end of the season . Notice I said if he started at a smaller school like Holy Cross. Where Grandison averaged 14 ppg and then took a five point dip as a starter at Illinois . Sometimes when you build confidence it can do wonders . We will see what he can do in the ACC .Baker should have never burned his red shirt .
Last edited:
I like Joey but he had 4 years. He still looked like a deer in headlights in big games. Unlike a guy like White, he rarely did other things at a high level when his shot wasn't falling. Normally he'd be the kind of guy K loves, but he always seemed to be in the dog house. He would do well at a smaller school. Some guys don't thrive under pressure. Doesn't make him a bad guy. But I doubt he just starts raining 3's at Michigan. He needs to go to the Ivy League or Davidson. I saw Grandison hitting lots of shots against good teams in the highlights. Most of Baker's good games came against smaller schools. Joey gave Duke 4 years, and I want to see him succeed.
Last edited:
And he will. To that I’ll stand by. Now here’s to hoping Schutts doesn’t become the next Baker .
There was a reason Semi, Coleman , Brakesfield , O’Connel all did well at new schools . They actually got to see the floor for more then three minutes a game . Only difference between them and Baker. They knew when it was time to go , Baker stayed and got his degree like Goldwire . He’s forever a bluedevil the others I don’t count as one .
Baker isn’t avg 14 ppg at HC as a first or second year player, just not happening. And injury or not, he’s very slow defensively, can’t drive, and his supposed lethal shot was average.
