This NBA Draft is a reminder that Coach K wasted Duke’s most talented roster

With Duke’s three fabulous freshmen poised to go high in the NBA Draft’s lottery tonight, it’s fair to point out that Mike Krzyzewski squandered the most talented roster of Blue Devils he’s ever had.

When Duke assembled the nation’s top recruiting class a year ago, many assumed the terrific trio of R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish would bring another national championship to Durham. Coach K had assembled some of the most elite talent the high school hoops system could offer, and the squad absolutely rolled through the regular season, dismantling opponents when everyone was healthy.

Many assumed that Barrett would become a star, and most pundits projected him to be the top pick in the NBA Draft, but that all changed when Williamson started posterizing opponents on a nightly basis. Williamson became the kind of unstoppable force that the college game rarely sees, and teaming him with Barrett and Reddish should have been a recipe for a title.

A mid-season injury to Williamson slowed Duke’s roll just a bit, but Duke got him back for the ACC Tournament, and their dominant performance there set expectations high for March Madness. Duke got the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and rolled through its first round matchup before needing a bit of divine intervention to squeak by UCF and Virginia Tech, setting up an Elite Eight matchup with Michigan State.

The Spartans were a talented group and were well coached by Tom Izzo, but no one expected them to upset the Blue Devils. Michigan State did the unthinkable, knocking out Duke one win shy of the Final Four, and that marked an end to the college days for Williamson, Barrett, and Reddish.

That trio of players accomplished a lot as both Barrett and Williamson were first team All Americans as freshmen, which is extremely rare, and Williamson swept all of the Player of the Year Awards. Williamson and Barrett should go one and three in the draft tonight while Reddish should also go within the top 10, and it leaves Duke fans scratching their heads how Coach K didn’t win a title with this elite collection of talent.