Devilsforlife said:

UNC will be excellent inside next year, but I do not fear the rest of their roster at all. My early prediction for their 2021 team would be something similar to the 2013-15 incarnations.

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I understand what you're getting at, but I think they will be better than those versions. I truly believe this UNC will be the best front-court Roy has had in 10 years, and it might even be his best while at UNC. That alone is frightening considering how his system runs. I also think their perimeter is going to be greatly improved. I don't think they need a great perimeter to be a top 10 team next year. They need a solid perimeter rotation, which IMO they will have. Caleb Love is legitimately good, and he will come in and fit UNC and Roy much better than Cole Anthony. That already has them set at 3 out of the 5 positions, and those 3 positions are the most crucial to Roy's system: PG and PF and C. They have to round out the 2 and 3, which I think they will.

They have 2 commitments from 4-stars which are very good shooters, one of which is Cam Johnson's younger brother. Here is the write up on Puff Johnson from 247: "Has good length for a shooter. A smooth athlete who needs to add strength and explosiveness. A long-range shooter with a quick and effortless left-handed release. Likes floaters off the dribble. Not a creative ballhandler or passer. Has room to become a more physical defender and rebounder. Can be an NBA player with development. "

Here is the write up on RJ Davis, a small but big time scorer, a 4-star commit: "Extremely quick athlete. Exceptionally fast and slippery with the basketball. A natural scorer from anywhere on the court. Can make tough shots. Also has the ability to create for others and distribute. Diminutive on defense but can be disruptive with his quickness."

Both of those guys will develop into very good players for UNC, and most importantly for them, both are shooters with range. Even if you think neither one is a great player, they're both already better talents, and better roster fits, than everyone at UNC right now with the exception of Brandon Robinson. UNC is upgrading at PG, and they're bringing in two shooters, while adding actually quality depth to the front-court instead of the big 3-star/4-star projects they've been adding the last few recruiting classes.

Slap the Floor said:

I really think this line-up is a top 5 team and potential National Title contender, assuming the staff does a decent job, and that Hurt and Moore both making actual improvements. There's a lot of question marks, such as how good will Roach and Steward actually be, can Moore and Hurt make improvements, but on paper I think this talent works together and there is a lot to like. A lot of versatility and shooting, and although there won't be a dominant big man, I think there's enough size and versatility between Hurt, Johnson, Williams, Coleman and Brakefield to not worry about being atrocious inside like 2014 was.

PG: Roach (fr)
SG: Steward (fr)
SF: Wendell Moore (so)
PF: Jalen Johnson (fr)
C: Matthew Hurt (so)

Bench: Goldwire (sr), Mark Williams (fr), Coleman (fr), Brakefield (fr) and then one of AOC/Baker. I think one of them transfers, honestly, which will leave us with 10 scholarship recruited players.

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Let's say both Alex and Joey want to stay. Who knows. Doesn't really affect the W/L record.

This is a team that will compete at a high level:

Roach, Goldwire
Steward, O'Connell
Moore, Brakefield, Baker
Johnson, Coleman
Hurt, Williams

You've got the following as far as we know:

1. dynamic young point guard- Roach
2. a veteran point guard who keeps improving- Goldwire
3. best shooter in the class- Steward
4. returning wing who does nothing well yet (outside of FT shooting) but he's super young and you can wish upon a star- Moore
5. solid wing prospect who shot 84% from FT line- Brakefield
6. Dynamic creating wing in Jalen Johnson who many scouts believe would go 1st overall if he were in the 2020 class
7. Energy big- Coleman
8. Defensive-minded center- Mark Williams
9. Plus shooting if he can stay on the floor defensively- Baker
10. A plus shooter who shows flashes but just not there yet- Hurt
11. A legacy recruit who is not good at anything- O'Connell

Obviously not perfect but nobody in college ever is, much less these days.

From a roster standpoint, I guess I'd be worried the most about rebounding and rim protection.

While I like the idea of going small, I can't take seriously any lineup projection with Hurt at the 5. He's so fucking weak that I think our defense would really suffer (Johnson is more likely to be able to guard opposing 5s).

I feel like Hurt won't really make a consistent impact until his junior year. He's just like Ryan Kelly to me

Some guy on 247 just CB'd LeBron James Jr to Duke. He is in the class of 2021. He has 0 stars.

I have no idea how to feel about this. LeBron Jr will bring in the hype of Zion except with not even a fraction of the talent. I'm sure he won't play and will come in like JROB. It could be a huge distraction. It would also probably be a huge benefit to have LeBron Sr rocking Duke gear all the time.

We should probably just accept his commitment because having LeBron frequently attend Duke games, wearing Duke gear, and be an unofficial Duke sponsor for the next 20 years will be worth it. It won't be what Michael Jordan was to UNC for so many years, but it will be an incredible boost.

Slap the Floor said:

Some guy on 247 just CB'd LeBron James Jr to Duke. He is in the class of 2021. He has 0 stars.

I have no idea how to feel about this. LeBron Jr will bring in the hype of Zion except with not even a fraction of the talent. I'm sure he won't play and will come in like JROB. It could be a huge distraction. It would also probably be a huge benefit to have LeBron Sr rocking Duke gear all the time.

We should probably just accept his commitment because having LeBron frequently attend Duke games, wearing Duke gear, and be an unofficial Duke sponsor for the next 20 years will be worth it. It won't be what Michael Jordan was to UNC for so many years, but it will be an incredible boost.

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Bronny appears to be class of 2023. It also appears as if he's pretty damn good. Obviously not nearly his father, but I've seen him as a solid top-15-20 in his class.

bdotling said:

I feel like Hurt won't really make a consistent impact until his junior year. He's just like Ryan Kelly to me

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I hear you but I never saw early Ryan Kelly shoot like Hurt did at times this year. I just think Hurt blows up next year if he comes back, but he clearly needs to get stronger.

deeyoukayeee said:

Slap the Floor said:

Some guy on 247 just CB'd LeBron James Jr to Duke. He is in the class of 2021. He has 0 stars.

I have no idea how to feel about this. LeBron Jr will bring in the hype of Zion except with not even a fraction of the talent. I'm sure he won't play and will come in like JROB. It could be a huge distraction. It would also probably be a huge benefit to have LeBron Sr rocking Duke gear all the time.

We should probably just accept his commitment because having LeBron frequently attend Duke games, wearing Duke gear, and be an unofficial Duke sponsor for the next 20 years will be worth it. It won't be what Michael Jordan was to UNC for so many years, but it will be an incredible boost.

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Bronny appears to be class of 2023. It also appears as if he's pretty damn good. Obviously not nearly his father, but I've seen him as a solid top-15-20 in his class.

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A lot of Bronny's longterm success will depend on if he grows to be closer to his dad's heigh. Right now, he has decent but not exceptional guard skills at 6'2". If he has those same skills at 6'6" or taller he becomes a much more appealing prospect.

He any good?

42% 3 point shooter

Freshman year was not good, but sophomore year he became a great shooter who can rebound. Definitely would take him.

Have to wonder why he didn’t play more at Illinois. Based on his numbers, he would’ve started at SF or PF all season for Duke and been one of our 3 most indispensable players; not sure he wouldn’t be #1. There is nothing about his defensive numbers that suggests he’s a terrible or even bad defender.

Not being eligible to play for Duke next season hurts.

Pairing him up with AJ is extremely attractive. Maybe Steward returns and we have him run point.

Steward, Alan, AJ, Baldwin, Banchero. Would be our first modern lineup in years (since 2015?).

Alan Griffin would be an excellent addition and the 2021 team could be utterly dominant.

I'm a big fan of siblings whose names start with the same letters, both in basketball and life in general. I don't know why most parents don't do it. Bonus if they are alliterative.

dukebluedevils05 said:

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Battle of the sources!

We should absolutely take Alan Griffin. He was projected to start next year for Illinois. In 18 minutes per game he averaged 9ppg, 4.5 rebounds, and he shot 86% from the FT line and 42% from 3.

He would have to sit out a year, which is good for development anyway.

Just a theory here, but I actually think the pandemic will wind up helping Duke in recruiting. Spring recruiting is closed, and I'm sure segments of the Summer recruiting will also be closed. Considering that Duke is perceived as favorites for several high end recruits such as Patrick Baldwin, Max Christie, and Kennedy Chandler this is probably a good thing.

Several recruits have already visited Duke- Kennedy Chandler, Trevor Keels, Patrick Baldwin, and Paolo Banchero.