With Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett headed to the NBA, here’s how Duke basketball starting lineup could look like next season.
Once Zion Williamson and company put on a show in the Champion’s Classic back in November, many assumed it would be Duke’s destiny to cut down the nets in Minneapolis. That prophecy never came to be as Duke was upset by Michigan State in the Elite Eight, ending the Blue Devils’ season well short of March Madness glory.
Things should get tricky for the Blue Devils in 2019 as their top three scorers (Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish) are all projected lottery picks in June’s NBA draft. There is no reason to assume any of them will be back for a second year in Durham, so Mike Krzyzewski will need to fill their spots in the lineup at minimum.
The trickier decision comes for point guard Tre Jones, the younger brother of former Duke guard Tyus Jones. Tyus went pro after his freshman year and was drafted 24th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Tyus was coming off a key role on a national championship team.
Tre Jones wasn’t nearly as productive as his brother, averaging 9.4 points per game and 5.3 assists a night, but that was to be expected since he was the fourth option for Duke. There are also concerns about Jones’ ability to knock down threes, as he hit only 26.2% of his triples in college, which could make his NBA transition problematic.
Opinions are all over the place on Jones’ NBA potential, but the consensus seems to be that he won’t be drafted higher than his brother was and may not even be a first rounder at all. It would probably benefit Jones to come back for his sophomore season and be the leader of the new look Blue Devils, which would make Coach K’s life a lot easier.