It’s no secret that Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils run a short bench.
The team usually plays about seven deep, meaning any and all injuries could be potentially devastating to the team. Unfortunately, the team has lost three players — Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones and Derryck Thornton — to various injuries recently, making things rather tough for the Blue Devils.
Jones suffered an ankle injury against North Carolina while Thornton hurt his shoulder against Louisville. On Monday, Coach K gave an update on the status of the two players.
K reiterates that he expects both Matt Jones and Derryck Thornton to play Thursday vs FSU. No structural damage to Thornton's shoulder
— Laura Keeley (@laurakeeley) February 22, 2016
With Jefferson still out, the team will be using a six-man rotation. Having Jones and Thornton back in the lineup should keep the Blue Devils playing well with the ACC tournament right around the corner. The biggest thing, obviously, is making sure the team is as healthy as possible come NCAA Tournament time.
Maybe, just maybe, Duke should consider using more that six/seven players in a game.