After another strong season that featured its deepest roster in years, the Duke Blue Devils are the 2015 NCAA Tournament champions. Thanks to a second half rally that just could not be stopped, Duke knocked off the ever-feisty Wisconsin Badgers to claim its fifth title for both the school and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.
But the question is just how long will this championship magic last? If you ask this writer, Duke will need a lot of help to have just as strong a season next year as it did in 2015.
Granted, it’s not as though Duke is losing a bunch of impact players to graduation. The only impact senior on the team is guard Quinn Cook and though his leadership and strong scoring ability will be missed, the team is still deep enough that it can function without him.
Or is it?
Keep in mind, Duke had three freshman on its squad this year that played a huge role on its road to the championship: center Jahlil Okafor, forward Justise Winslow, and point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones.
Though most of the players that have come through Krzyzewski’s program usually stay past their freshman seasons, with guys like Jabari Parker and Kyrie Irving being the exception, it’s hard to believe that at least one of these players won’t declare for the NBA draft.
The most likely player to do so is Okafor, who is currently projected to go second overall in the latest mock draft from Nbadraft.net.
Given his incredible size at 6-foot-11, 270 pounds and that he averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 boards per game as a freshman in the fast-paced and competitive ACC, he would be a true boon to whichever NBA team selected him.
The same can be said for Winslow, whose complete skillset and athleticism have Nbadraft.net projecting him as a top 5 pick. Jones is smaller than Okafor and Winslow, but his strong defense and refusal to back down in the face of bigger players on offense was enough for the website to have him projected as a late first rounder.
That said, assuming all three of these talented freshman depart for the NBA, Duke’s team is going to look a lot different next year. Sure, guys like Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen will be able to help shoulder the load and keep the team competitive, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that losing three freshman as talented as Okafor, Winslow and Jones could set the team back at least a little bit.
Fortunately, Krzyzewski is a phenomenal coach and a great recruiter, so at least two of the potential holes will be filled. Five-star center Chase Jeter has already signed his letter of intent to join the Blue Devils next season, as has four-star guard Luke Kennard. Both players are also McDonald’s All-Americans. Duke is also not out of the running for five-star big man Caleb Swanigan, who is currently ranked eighth among ESPN’s Top 100 recruits.
So even if “the worst” occurs and Duke loses three of its best players to the pros this summer, the Blue Devils won’t exactly be lost in the woods. Mike Krzyzewski is a great coach who always manages to lead his teams to the big dance, and next year won’t be any exception.
Duke probably won’t repeat as champions next year, but the team will surely put up a good fight in defending the title.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
