Will Jon Scheyer uphold the Duke legacy in year one?

Duke University enters year one of the Jon Scheyer era. After 42 seasons and 1,129 wins, Scheyer is the coach Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski appointed to the bench after his retirement.

Immediately, Scheyer made some changes, most notably recruiting a deeper bench; Krzyzewski notoriously like to play a short bench and rarely kept 13 recruited scholarship players. However, Scheyer continued recruiting at a level unmatched among his peers.

The current seven-man freshman class ranked No. 1 for the third time in the past five recruiting cycles. Duke’s classes have finished in the top four each of the past five cycles. With junior point guard Jeremy Roach and sophomore point guard Jaylen Blakes the only returning scholarship player, Scheyer also hit the transfer portal hard.

Duke’s three-man class from the portal, forward Kale Catchings (Harvard), wing Jacob Grandison (Illinois), and post Ryan Young (Northwestern), mean the Blue Devils welcome ten new faces into the locker room.

This is a new coach, a new voice, and a new roster filled with new players. However, it’s Duke; they have a legacy to uphold and expectations that will be inescapable.

Starting five

PG Jeremy Roach

Height/Weight: 6-2/175
Class: Junior
2021-22 stats: 8.6 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds

Jeremy Roach is the only returning starter; in actuality, he is the only returning player in the starting lineup. Roach is the veteran, the experienced guard, and the one everyone will be looking to for leadership this season. The junior has been in big situations in his career; he started every game of a Final Four run, and not only has he won 45 games in his two seasons, but he’s also started 45 as well.

Roach will need to play a lot of minutes this season because there is not much depth behind him. In years past, Roach has been relied upon for his reputation as a point-of-attack defender. He is a career 31.9 percent three-point shooter; on the periphery, you would say he needs to improve that. However, Roach’s scoring last season was interesting; he shot 50 percent finishing at the rim and 33 percent on long threes. However, in the mid-range, he shot 15.4 percent. If Roach develops his shot-making from 17 feet to the short three-point line, he should become a reliable scorer.

Also, the decision-making will need to continue improving as a primary initiator. Roach played his best last season with two other initiators on the floor, Wendell Moore and Paolo Banchero. Both players were first-round draft picks. Roach will have Tyrese Proctor with him, who can some of the initiation duties away from him but is not a primary ball handler. Jaylen Blakes is the only backup at the position, so Roach will be expected to play a lot of minutes. He finished last year with a respectable two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

SG Tyrese Proctor

Height/Weight: 6-5/175
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at NBA Global Academy

Tyrese Proctor comes in as a bit of an unknown. The shooting/combo guard from Australia played his last couple of years of high school with the NBA Academy Global team, based out of Proctor’s home country.

Early returns from practice are Proctor has developed his game from high school. The passing was always there. Proctor has excellent court vision, able to throw left-hand, right-hand passes from different angles and levels on the floor. The catch-and-shoot jump shot was always pure as well. He never had any questions about knocking down the three when his feet were set. All the question marks coming into enrolling at Duke had to do with playing off the bounce. In high school, Proctor struggled at times to get past his man, especially going left and passing or shooting off the bounce.

Of course, in high school, for the NBA Academy, he was tasked to be a primary ball handler and initiator. He will not have to do that at Duke. Playing beside Jeremy Roach, who will have the ball in his hands, Proctor can play to his strengths. Master the parts of the game he’s good at. There will be some minutes that Proctor will have to play as the primary guy, but the majority of the time, he will be in a secondary role. Proctor will still have to answer defensive questions. A lot of that stems from his need for strength and his average to solid athleticism. But he has a projectable frame and is coming into a situation where he can be a connective piece with some real, tangible tools.

SF Dariq Whitehead

Height/Weight: 6-7/220
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Montverde (FL) Academy

Dariq Whitehead will enter the starting lineup with a lot of external expectations. The McDonald’s All-American is showing up on pre-season NBA mock draft boards as a lottery pick. He was the leading scorer for Geico National Champion Montverde (FL) Academy averaging 16.5 points and 3.5 assists on the biggest stages. While he does not have the hype of some of the previous Duke freshmen, like Zion Williamson or Paolo Banchero, Whitehead is a known commodity.

Whitehead has also not been healthy yet. The freshman fractured his right foot during a team workout in August. While he is expected back before the turn of the calendar, he still has missed workouts, live scrimmages, and practices. Despite his years of playing high-level basketball, will there be a learning curve?

Whitehead has a strong frame, with long arms and a nose for scoring the basketball. During his senior season, he became more aggressive in looking for his shot. He developed his game in the mid-range, and with that came footwork and some counters in his iso game. When playing on the perimeter, Whitehead attacks the rim with straight-line drives. He is a tough finisher at the basket, able to absorb contact and go through a defender. Against lengthier defenders, or players his size, there was a struggle, at times, to get past his man in the half-court forcing Whitehead would settle for a lot of step-back-type jumpers in these situations.

The three-pointer can be flat as he resorts to taking the majority of them off-balanced. Getting his balance right and learning to use his teammates to get open – instead of just the dribble – could be developments. But Whitehead, who just turned 18 on August 1, carries an alpha mentality with a praised work ethic and natural instincts.

PF Mark Mitchell

Height/Weight: 6-8/220
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Bel Aire (KS) Sunrise Christian

Mark Mitchell, by many accounts, is the one who has come on campus and outplayed expectations. He will be an integral piece on this team as he can slide between each of the front-court positions. Mitchell has great length and is a very fluid athlete.

His ability to move laterally and switch on defense will be what is invaluable to this team. While Mitchell is an efficient scorer, he averaged 16.3 points and shot over 49 percent from the field in NIBC play last season; he will be more of a rim runner and transition finisher with this team. In the ACC, Mitchell is able to slide down to guard the three or switch up and use his length against fives. He will need to, of course, get his footwork and rotations up to the speed and caliber of play, but his natural instincts are there.

Ultimately, long-term, Mitchell’s upside is as a three-and-d wing. And there is some upside with the jump shot off the catch; he has a smooth release, and he shot 70 percent from the free-throw line during NIBC play; he will need to continue working there. Mitchell also has a mechanical handle in the half-court. While he is good at attacking in straight lines, he is not a threat to break down his man and get a shot. He will need others to create opportunities for him. The lefty is a slippery offensive player, however, using quick feet and an ability to finish above the rim or at a number of different angles, through contact, around the rim. He shot over six free throws per game in NIBC play last season, attacking off-ball reversal, pushing off a rebound, and playing in the dunker spot. He is also an effective offensive rebounder.

C Dereck Lively

Height/Weight: 7-1/230
Class: Freshman
2021-22 stats: was at Westtown (PA) School

Dereck Lively enters college as the 2022 On3 Consensus No. 1 ranked player. It is clear to see the upside, the potential, and the ceiling. Lively’s flashes were like no other player in high school basketball last season. At 7-foot-1, he could knock down the three with confidence. There were also some unique plays where he would block a shot one end, keep it in bounds, beat everyone up the floor, and finish with a two-handed flush. Just his type of fluidity and pop, at his size, is very unique to see.

But then you also have the inconsistencies, the long stretches of the game where you forget he is on the floor. For starters, Lively is a premier rim protector. That is something that will translate from level to level, his ability to affect shots. Would be paint touches from the opposing team will have to account for the height Lively gets on his quick jump and length. However, on the defensive end, Lively’s lack of core and base strength can lead him to get bullied in one-on-one situations on the block and cause him to foul when leaving his feet to block a shot. Lively will oftentimes fall or land off balance in traffic as well, with these strength questions.

In Lively’s attempt to block most shots, he can oftentimes be out of position to grab a rebound. The McDonald’s All-American also has touch that extends beyond the three-point arc. Off the catch, he confidently takes that shot, but Lively is at his best around the basket. When he is used in the dunker spots or as a rim diver, Lively provides vertical spacing that leaves the lane wide open because Lively’s man – typically the opposition’s best rim protector – has to account for Lively in these situations.

Oftentimes, in previous seasons, Lively would settle for an outside shot. While he still needs to develop a back-to-basket game, Lively’s ability to catch lobs may be unmatched in the current college freshman class. He gets off the floor quickly, he gets high, and he has very good hand-eye coordination, even in traffic. Expect flashes this season of things very few people in the world can do, but consistency will be key.

Bench

One thing is for certain, Jon Scheyer’s roster does not lack a depth of talent in year one. During the recruiting/roster-building process, Scheyer added veterans who had seen success and could be relied upon to fit specific needs.

Jacob Grandison is in his sixth year of college basketball. He’s scored 1,163 career points and shot 41.2 percent from three during his two seasons at Illinois. At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Grandison can space the floor as a bigger wing or slide down to a small ball four role, depending on matchups. His 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists will also be a nice insurance policy, depending on Whitehead’s health.

Kale Catchings is a 6-foot-6 and 220 pound tough guy from Harvard. He can act as a catch-and-shoot spot shooter, but he brings some intensity to the paint. He can move his feet on defense and is an active rebounder. Catchings is a change of pace, be tough and play with a motor guy. Then you have Ryan Young, the methodical 6-foot-10 and 250 pound guy on the block. Despite his lack of athleticism, he finished his 530 minutes of gameplay last season with two dunks; he unquestionably is the team’s best low-block scorer. Each of these seniors fits a specific role and a specific matchup and can be called upon to carry the team IF the matchup is right.

We touch on Jaylen Blakes below and what the team will need from him, so Kyle Filipowski is the other key contributor. Filipowski came to Duke as a consensus five-star forward. He will probably be Duke’s best rebounder from the start, and his best attribute on the floor may be his passing ability. Filipowski has struggled with the speed of play to start. This comes with both finishing on offense and rotating on defense. There may be a learning curve there, but he will play. The biggest question is whether Duke will be able to play Filipowski and Lively together. The quicker he adjusts to the speed, the quicker the 6-foot-11 freshman will see big minutes.

Two things I know

This team has talent

While the talent may be young, this team will have somewhere between two and four players drafted in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Barring something unforeseen, Dariq Whitehead should be the first Blue Devil off the board in the top half of the first round. While the range of outcome is much wider for Dereck Lively, and his best basketball will be ahead of him, he should also end up going in the first round.

Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski are the other three players who have the talent to be talked about as possible first-rounders. All three will most likely be first-round picks eventually; it will all depend on how they progress between now and the season’s end.

This team is young

Not only on the court but also on the bench. Duke is projected to start four freshmen this season. They will be depending on four players who have not had to deal with the rigors of being a student-athlete yet. Now, these freshmen all have talent, and Duke has a nice blend of veterans to help them along, but still, they are all 18 years old and adjusting, both physically and mentally.

This is also Jon Scheyer’s first year as a coach. Now he has been around some very talented teams and has been in the locker room – both as a coach and a player – with one of the best to ever do it, but still, this is Scheyer’s first year. He is still finding his voice and his flow and will be doing so with the brightest spotlight on him. In the college game, they say Jimmy’s and Joe’s over X’s and O’s, and this team has both talent and depth.

Three things I wonder

Who is the guy getting the ball with under two minutes, and they need a bucket?

Last year Duke had Paolo Banchero; get him the ball and clear out. The hope coming out of Durham is that freshman Dariq Whitehead can be that guy; however, we have not seen him on a college floor yet due to injury. While the team’s approach will be a joint approach, there is an immense depth of talent and ability on this team; you may find Jeremy Roach being the guy asked to create when the team needs a bucket. The elder statesman has entered this season with a new approach and is playing with a lot of confidence.

This team has the look of one that could have six or seven different players lead them in scoring throughout the course of a season. But as the old say goes, if you have six or seven, you don’t have one.

Will the lack of point guard depth come back to hurt the Blue Devils?

There is no doubt about it; Jeremy Roach will be relied upon heavily this season. Bringing in Tyrese Proctor to play alongside him will help things, but is the freshman ready to take on the primary role for extended minutes by himself? The Blue Devils also return former four-star recruit, sophomore Jaylen Blakes. Blakes played 94 total minutes, 4.5 per game last season. They will need him to step forward.

Dariq Whitehead is a wing who is capable of getting a team into sets, and some of the bigs, like Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski, are able to rebound and push to at least get the ball to half-court. So, there are some alternative things Duke will be able to do outside of the primary point guard position, but the depth here is a question leading into the season.

What will the big rotation look like?

As noted above, it looks like the Blue Devils will start the season with freshmen Mark Mitchell and Dereck Lively as their starters. Mitchell seems to be the seamless fit, with Kale Catchings backing him up. However, the five position is where things get interesting for Duke. Lively will get the call to start, but how long can he stay on the floor? His flashes are brilliant, but he has a reputation for a lack of consistency and a lack of toughness.

Also in line for minutes at the five are freshman Kyle Filipowski and Northwestern transfer Ryan Young. Young is a throwback type big who has an array of pump fakes and up and unders on the block. Filipowski is probably the team’s best rebounder and an excellent passer from every level on the floor out of the frontcourt. The question with both Filipowski and Young is on the defensive end. If Scheyer can find a way to play two of the bigs together and possibly slide Mitchell to the three, that would be optimal for exploring creative lineups. There could be a three-headed monster and play matchups but do not be surprised if there are some games that Lively starts and the others play more minutes.