Duke basketball: 5 most underrated Blue Devils in program history

3. Duke basketball underrated players: Ryan Kelly, F, (2009-2013)

Of Duke basketball’s five national championship teams, the 2010 group may not be as highly regarded as the rest. Lacking a lot of dynamite star power, this Blue Devils team was a well-rounded group that truly had the heart of a champion.

One player who learned a lot from his time as a freshman on that squad was forward Ryan Kelly, who played a shade under seven minutes a game that year. Kelly made his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore and managed to stay there for the next three years.

There wasn’t a ton of pizzazz to Kelly’s game but he was always a dependable secondary option for Duke. Kelly’s offensive production improved as an upperclassman, peaking at 12.9 points per game and 5.3 rebounds a night as a senior.

Another area where Kelly excelled was in the classroom, where he was named to the ACC All-Academic team in each of his four years at Duke. Kelly’s smarts clearly translated to the court as well since he was a part of some very strong teams.

A bit of a glue guy like Jefferson, Kelly showed grit by battling through foot injuries in his final two years at Duke. Although he doesn’t get the love like other Duke stars there is no question that Kelly was an important player for Krzyzewski while he was in school.