For sure think Stewart can play small ball 5. He does everything you want a 5 to do, he's just 6'8. Certainly can be effective
Transfer portal thread
- Thread starter pisgah101
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I just question if Stewart has the size/strength to guard centers in the post. Can he handle Bacot down there? I have my doubts, but he looks like he'll be a good rebounder and off ball shot blocker.
I’m in the camp, that I think Reeves is a regular in the rotation this season. I know he mostly played mopped up minutes as a Freshman, but I liked the ability I saw out of him in his small sample size of playing time. He has an athletic frame and hopefully this summer he will add some much needed muscle to his 7’ body.
Some of y’all are more confident in Reeves than I am. I hope y’all are right, and he’ll contribute like Justin Robinson did when he got a fair shake.
I also realize Young is limited on the defensive end against quicker bigs, but he’s no scrub. The kid is smart, rebounds well, and has an extra year under his belt too.
A solid team player is what he is.
I also realize Young is limited on the defensive end against quicker bigs, but he’s no scrub. The kid is smart, rebounds well, and has an extra year under his belt too.
A solid team player is what he is.
I would take it Chris. I just think Young starting season at 5 is a real liability. His lack of mobility will kill us on D. I think he can be a valuable piece off the bench playing short spurts. OFC
We have a question mark for sure. We have a decent idea of what we got in Proctor, Roach, Mitchell and Flip (at the 4).
NONE of us have ANY idea what we have with Young, Reeves, Stewart or even Flip at the 5 getting extended minutes or even platooning (Young maybe).
I repeat, NO IDEA. It’s unfortunate. But considering things in its totality, we are in a good spot with the top 4 scoring returning players.
NONE of us have ANY idea what we have with Young, Reeves, Stewart or even Flip at the 5 getting extended minutes or even platooning (Young maybe).
I repeat, NO IDEA. It’s unfortunate. But considering things in its totality, we are in a good spot with the top 4 scoring returning players.
Agreed. I'm thrilled that we have 4 starters back. But I have always felt that the 1 and 5 positions are the most important positions, and we had a golden opportunity to strengthen ourselves at the 5 through the portal and didn't. Flip playing the 5 for 20 minutes a game is probably the way we go but it's not ideal. I'm a big Young fan but him at 10-15 minutes a game is probably best. There are still portal big men available, but the good centers are mostly gone. I'm hearing Grant Nelson may go to Iowa or Alabama.
Many have mentioned it ITT but I just don’t think dukes going to be a portal destination school. As we seen with Udeh this isn’t an easy school transfer too. Seems we’ll be recruit and develop which is fine vs searching every year for mercenaries in the portal
Blu good points. I agree with something I ran across on another Duke board, (seems all Duke fans are talking about who plays the 5). "If Ryan Young starts at the 5 this season, Duke is a very good basketball team." However, "they are NOT title contenders."
Consensus I am getting at this point is Duke starts three guards, Mitchell and Flip. We'll see. All I know is I think by the end of the year, Christian Reeves will be making a noteworthy contribution.That could lead to #6, and Duke will definitely be in the FF.
Duke can take grad students but not undergraduate except from the top schools where the credits will transfer.
If Duke starts Young or Flip at the 5, they’re maybe a top 15 team. Bigger, stronger teams will eat them up.
It’s not even off season work outs yet and Duke is down two starters and a big man with out running a sprint . This is going to be interesting. All of a sudden Blakes returning is becoming crucial in case Roach can’t go at the start of the season . Schutt returning while seeing limited minutes is crucial because he has a year in Jon’s system and can help the frosh . Young becomes even more crucial as he’s the only big who hasn’t logged an injury yet. Seems funny to keep saying “crucial “ but that’s what they are do to experience in the program .
Blakes will find his way on to the court. We always have injuries and he's experienced. We may have caught a break with Flip, Mitchell and Roach all being injured at the end of the season. They probably couldn't work out with NBA teams. I still think we could add another big body in the portal if we wanted to; it just won't be a big name.
I agree with that quote. We seemingly have all the pieces to make a title run next year, but the C position could be our downfall.
Much like the 06 Redick team who was forced to start a freshman Paulus at PG. Much like the Zion team who lacked a shooter/scorer off the bench. I feel like in the portal era, those holes can be fixed, and we didn’t.
This is where I see our fans show their entitlement. Duke gets top shelf talent. Many also seem to forget that there’s only so much room in the stable. How do we know the staff didn’t try finding a center? And what’s the odds that a really good one wants to come to Duke and at best, be the 4th option?
We can’t have our cake and eat it too. Case in point? How long has it been since 5 guys that were in the rotation returned the following year?
Is it really entitlement to want one decent guy from the portal? We had a historic number of guys come back and that was amazing, but we had a month to add one piece. Even after Flip returned I read a bunch of articles saying we needed to replace Lively, and we hosted two portal big guys. No doubt we will be very good, but I want to be great. We still could be, but we have a weakness at the 5 right now. It could well be a luxury; but if we get sent packing by a big team that fouls Flip out, this might be the reason. And we could lose all our starters next year to the draft.
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4 starters back I really shouldn't complain. It will be a fun season.
I agree we are overreacting to one game. Tennessee was a confluence of Mitchell hurt, in a tournament where it seemed as if the refs were calling it tight that Tennessee get away with assault (I still go back to the fact the only people who thought the refs were not biased against Duke were UT fans), and our important guard who never is in foul trouble is in foul trouble. If it was a choice between a rim protector who could possibly effect chemistry or roll with what we have, give me what we have.
We have a coach who won a nati as a player with a team that did not have a true point guard. And you do not think the coaching staff is spending a lot of time on this this summer? Plus, Jon can call K anytime for his thoughts. K stayed away in person, but if you don't think for one hot second K and Jon didn't speak virtually every day, i got ocean front property in Kansas to sell you.
And how in the hell are other teams going to stop us? If Proctor and Roach are good at keeping guys from driving and it is hell and we make big guys work to get the ball in the post, a rim protector is not needed as much.
Boozer goes out in 01 and we had less than a week before we played at a potential number one seed at their place. We slapped them.
There is no way to completely protect against every eventual match up problem that could possibly arise. Our biggest problem against physical Tenessee was not having an enforcer, experience, and take no sh!t attitude. I think we will be fine in that regard.
We have a coach who won a nati as a player with a team that did not have a true point guard. And you do not think the coaching staff is spending a lot of time on this this summer? Plus, Jon can call K anytime for his thoughts. K stayed away in person, but if you don't think for one hot second K and Jon didn't speak virtually every day, i got ocean front property in Kansas to sell you.
And how in the hell are other teams going to stop us? If Proctor and Roach are good at keeping guys from driving and it is hell and we make big guys work to get the ball in the post, a rim protector is not needed as much.
Boozer goes out in 01 and we had less than a week before we played at a potential number one seed at their place. We slapped them.
There is no way to completely protect against every eventual match up problem that could possibly arise. Our biggest problem against physical Tenessee was not having an enforcer, experience, and take no sh!t attitude. I think we will be fine in that regard.
Right now Duke is ranked like #2 i early rankings. I think we'll be OK. We've got 4 guys who are potential first round draft choices and all ACC. We'll find the 5th starter, I'm sure. Not worried.
Does Theo have another year? He'd be perfect. At this point we just need a 10 minute per game enforcer like him. In 99 we had Brand, Burgess, and Domzalski. Those were big dudes. Two years ago we had Williams, Theo and Banchero. Young is big but he could add some lean muscle in the offseason. Flip and Mitchell too. Stewart could help but you never know with freshman.
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Team is elite and the 5 position is just fine. Sure we don’t have a shot blocking rim protector, but there are other ways to protect the paint.
The 2015 didn’t have a great rim protector and it seemed to work out okay for them. The Arizona game with Ballo will be a good early test.
I would have loved Udeh but am really excited for the offense we can run with Flip at the 5. If we actually have some reliable 3 point shooters it’s game over
The 2015 didn’t have a great rim protector and it seemed to work out okay for them. The Arizona game with Ballo will be a good early test.
I would have loved Udeh but am really excited for the offense we can run with Flip at the 5. If we actually have some reliable 3 point shooters it’s game over
I know it's the off-season so it's open dialogue but my goodness anyone even remotely complaining about where we are with this team. Will be preseason #2 or #3, four starters back, including national freshman of the year and we are focused on a 5 we didn't get?
Outside of Homles (didn't even enter the portal), or Hunter (wouldn't of been a fit), what 5 out there was a complete game changer? Don't you dare say Shedrick.
I'm more excited for this team than any in recent memory and we are truly a spoiled fan base. Let's go Duke!
Outside of Homles (didn't even enter the portal), or Hunter (wouldn't of been a fit), what 5 out there was a complete game changer? Don't you dare say Shedrick.
I'm more excited for this team than any in recent memory and we are truly a spoiled fan base. Let's go Duke!
Call Duke fans whatever you please however it’s pretty obvious the staff wanted a 5 man, but for whatever reason (grades for Udeh) it didn’t work out. The centers we were seeking were complimentary pieces, we weren’t going after a star like Dickinson. So yes, I feel like there was plenty of room in the stable for a defensive minded 5-man to play 20 mpg and alter some shots and catch some lob passes.
Your initial post said there were holes that could be fixed, yet we didn't. I never said the staff wasn't trying to get a 5 man from the portal. But for whatever reason, it hasn't worked. Who's fault is that?
Is it possible the reason we didn't get one is that the roster appears to be loaded? Again, how many bigs want to come to an already stacked team, one that has 6 guys over 6'8"?
2015 had great defense and a great mix of offense. Oak was a nightmare on the block. As for this year, we don't know what Reeves can give us as a rim protector. We do know he is a legit 6'11/ 7'0. If we get half of what Lively provided, Duke will be great.
We are loaded at 1-4. There was still room for a 5. The national media was saying we needed to replace Lively; I don't recall anyone saying Reeves or Young was the answer. Will it be enough? I hope so. Obviously we will be good, I just don't want to be taken out by the first big, physical team we encounter in the tournament. It will be an exciting season; I just thought we had one last hole to plug. But we have as good a shot as anyone and we finally have some experience.
The roster is loaded, but is it fair to say that this roster is loaded with a glaring hole? We may have a lot of tall guys, but our superstar is Flip and having him play C a lot of minutes could be dangerous as he is already foul prone. Young cannot play a single minute against teams like Miami. And Reeves is a complete question mark who probably won’t be ready to contribute until the 2nd part of the season (hope I’m wrong.)
I don’t think any of our other tall guys can play C in the ACC for more than a couple minutes. I don’t want to be negative, but I feel like we have seen this story play out before. The Jabari team was the #1 Ken Pom offense by a wide margin, had a lot of veterans as Jabari was the only freshman, but they had a glaring hole at C, and they got bounced in the 1st round.
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Foul trouble is also my concern if Flip plays the 5 for long stretches. If Reeves becomes a stud that will plug that hole, but he'd have to make a pretty big jump.
We are loaded 1-4 and our 5 is a Preseason All American. I believe a combo of Young/Reeves/Stewart can play a solid 15 mpg to back him up.
What team out there doesn't have a glaring hole? On paper though, I like Duke's chances against any other team out there. When we play the holes, Young will most likely be needed against Bacot. Not that he will stop him, but he has the size to be physical with him. When we play Miami, maybe not as much. But he isn't the scrub many are making him out to be. He's also a very solid rebounder, and a decent passer.
I do agree with you on Reeves. Hope he's the contributor many feel he will be. I do think though that Flip will see a fair amount of time as the 5 when Jon goes small.
Has anyone given thought as to how other teams will matchup with Duke, instead of worrying over how we will match up? Jon has a luxury most coaches would drool over going into a season. He has 2 proven guards, and 2 proven forwards.
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I believe that both Flip and the staff would prefer that he play most of his minutes at the 4. IF another big is truly not on the table, then yes, this preference might have to be cast aside out of necessity. Right now, there are simply no other names out there that I have noticed.
orph, I would like to think this same scenario too. I honestly think Stewart may play a critical role in our progress this year.Hes certainly more mobile than Young. I think Ryan is an important piece of the triumvirate you mentioned. He just cannot be the primary horse we ride at the 5. OFC
Jon will work it out. It's funny, here's a 2nd year coach I have more confidence leading Duke, than his legendary predecessor in the twilight of his career. OFC
I'm a believer in Reeves, but I think you make a good point about Stewart. What was Duke looking for in the portal out of a 5? Someone who could protect the rim, clean the glass, and make close range shots. That's exactly what Stewart can do, and he's a 5 star.
I feel if he was 6'10, it would be case closed. I see he's listed at 6'8, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's 6'9 once the depth chart is released. I saw a photo of him standing right next to TJ power at the K academy and he's got him by atleast an inch and TJ is listed at 6'8. 6'9 in today game at the college level can absolutely be an effective 5
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Like the way you think Jimbo!!! Stewart CAN play bigger than his listed height, with his agility!
OFC
We have 3 guys all with question marks. One is too raw (Reeves), one is too slow (Young), and one is too short (Stewart.) Let’s hope the staff can piece this all together and figure it out. There are ways to make it work: for example, play 2-3 zone when Young is in the game. This isn’t the worst problem to have either, I’d rather this than not have a PG. We have seen countless talented Duke teams fail due to not having a floor general.
Stewart played with a lot of energy and was way above the rim blocking shots in the MCD AA game, he came off the bench in HS and always gave energy. He seems like a great teammate and someone you want to go to war with.
Stewart played with a lot of energy and was way above the rim blocking shots in the MCD AA game, he came off the bench in HS and always gave energy. He seems like a great teammate and someone you want to go to war with.
Just curious, not here to argue, but if Stewart does end up being 6'9 (which I think is a real possibility), why is that too short? In that case 6'9 235 is fine for a college rim protector in my opinion.
