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Duke basketball: Blue Devils ideal starting lineup for 2021-2022

By Mike Phillips

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Wendell Moore Jr. #0 of the Duke Blue Devils attempts a shot against Quinn Slazinski #11 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second half of their second round game in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Wendell Moore Jr. #0 of the Duke Blue Devils attempts a shot against Quinn Slazinski #11 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second half of their second round game in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Duke basketball can get back to March Madness in 2021 behind this starting lineup.

It feels weird to see March Madness without Duke in it but that is the reality for the Blue Devils, the headliner for an NCAA Tournament where the blue bloods were missing in action. A lot of things went wrong for Duke this season, including a strange end to the Jalen Johnson saga, but there is plenty of reason for optimism for the Blue Devils in the 2021-22 campaign.

The country’s vaccination campaign should help significantly improve the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, which should enable a more traditional offseason for college basketball teams. The condensed offseason clearly hurt the Blue Devils this year since the heavily talented freshman class got a lot less time to acclimate to college life.

Continuity should also be a more important word for Duke since the only true senior who had a role on this year’s team was guard Jordan Goldwire, who hasn’t decided yet if he will exercise his extra year of eligibility granted to all players this season because of the pandemic. Johnson is gone and Matthew Hurt will likely test the NBA Draft waters as well after a breakthrough season, but there is still a chance he returns for his junior year.

Weighing in the potential for a lot of returners and a solid recruiting class, let’s break down Duke’s ideal starting lineup for the 2021-22 season, starting at the point.

The ideal starting lineup for Duke basketball next season

Jeremy Roach, Point Guard

Goldwire and Jeremy Roach split minutes at the point this season but the best-case scenario for the Blue Devils is for Roach to become the full-time starter going forward. Roach is a former five-star recruit and was inconsistent as a freshman, although the fact that he was coming off of a knee injury in high school didn’t help.

The backup point guard spot remains an open question, especially if Goldwire opts not to exercise his extra year of eligibility. Krzyzewski isn’t actively recruiting a young point guard so don’t be shocked if Duke rides with Roach and pursues an experienced option through the transfer portal.

D.J. Steward, Shooting Guard

The in-house option is D.J. Steward, another former five-star recruit who had a solid but unspectacular freshman season. There was a thought heading into the year that Steward could be a one-and-done candidate with a strong season but he will likely follow the path that Hurt took last season, returning for his sophomore campaign with an eye towards improving.

The Blue Devils are one of the teams in the mix for Trevor Keels, a five-star recruit who is the fourth-best shooting guard in this year’s recruiting class, but the competition for his services is heavy. Keels will be looking for a situation where he can get more minutes right away, essentially taking him out of play for Duke unless Steward decides to start his pro career.

A.J. Griffin, Small Forward

This position is one where the Blue Devils are stacked. Wendell Moore is going to get his minutes as a junior who could become the team’s leader, but the starting job could go to a new five-star freshman in A.J. Griffin.

The 6-foot-7 wing from White Plains, New York is the son of former NBA player Adrian Griffin and offers plenty of shooting and athleticism. Griffin has the ability to defend three positions, an asset that should make him a valuable starter for Duke.

Patrick Baldwin Jr, Power Forward

Hurt’s NBA future will weigh heavily into the mix here because if he returns for his junior season he will be locked in as the starter at power forward. It’s likely that Hurt will go pro, however, since his skill set translates well to the modern NBA, meaning he can at least be a candidate for a second-round pick and an eventual two-way contract.

One intriguing option would be to play Mark Williams at the four since his insertion into the starting lineup at the end of the season coincided with some of Duke’s best basketball. The dream here would be to land top recruit Patrick Baldwin Jr, who the Blue Devils have been in hot pursuit for a while, and utilizing him to fill Hurt’s role as a small-ball four.

Mark Williams, Center

Landing Baldwin or retaining Hurt would allow Duke to leave Williams at center, which is his natural position. The good news for the Blue Devils is that they also have a five-star center coming to Durham in Paolo Banchero, who is currently the third-best player on the ESPN 100 index.

A true modern big, Banchero can score at all three levels and is a willing passer, making him an excellent candidate to slide to the four as well with Williams playing more of a traditional center. Either way, Krzyzewski looks to have a lot of good options in the post.

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