Duke basketball: Three players who could take the step forward

Duke’s core seems to be set with an electric backcourt comprised of Quinn Cook, Rasheed Sulaimon and Andre Dawkins, and star wings in Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. Off the bench seniors Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston will provide leadership, hustle and gritty play. With the losses of Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly, however, Duke’s biggest weakness lies in the paint. A crowded bench of relatively unproven players will compete for minutes in the front court this season. Here are three players who could take the step forward and in the process improve Duke's chances at making a run at a fifth national title.

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Last season, Amile Jefferson scored in double figures six times—including a career-high 14-point effort in a win against Boston College—and finished second on the team with 42 offensive rebounds. While Ryan Kelly was sidelined with a foot injury, Jefferson provided solid production at the power forward position, showing a nice ability to get easy buckets and some rebounds with his long wingspan. Logging 12.7 minutes per game, the Philadelphia native gained valuable experience as a freshman and is ready for increased responsibilities. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has elected Jefferson to be his starting center over Hairston and redshirt sophomore Marshall Plumlee. Jefferson undoubtedly is the best offensive post player and has the most upside of the team’s front court options—despite being smaller than most ACC centers, listed at just 6-foot-9, 210 pounds. The twenty pounds he gained in muscle will help, but Jefferson must turn to his 7-foot-1 wingspan and astounding quickness to compensate for his size. His ability to defend and rebound against opposing bigs is crucial for Duke’s success. Perhaps most important to his success, however, may be his foul management. Jefferson committed 5.2 fouls per 40 minutes as a freshman, a figure that must shrink now that he is a starter.

Marshall Plumlee, Center

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At 7-feet and 260 pounds, Plumlee is the only true center on Duke’s roster. Still very unproven, Marshall Plumlee was once expected to be the best of the Plumlee brothers. Last year, he played very infrequently, appearing in only 19 contests for a total of 50 minutes. Plumlee struggled with his shot in his limited action, shooting just 1-for-8 from the floor. He had slightly more success on the glass however, corralling 11 rebounds in his 50 minutes. Plumlee has battled foot injuries throughout his first two seasons at Duke, and thus will need to stay healthy to provide a big presence in the paint. Even in limited minutes as a freshman, Jefferson became notorious for getting himself into early foul trouble. Hairston has had the same problem over his Duke career. It is imperative that Plumlee is able to enter the game and give Duke quality minutes when foul woes strike by being active in the paint, finishing around the rim and forcing penetrators to make difficult adjustments. A healthy Plumlee could also develop into a defensive specialist of sorts, being called upon when opposing a particularly physical post player.

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At Countdown to Craziness, Krzyzewski spoke of a new up-tempo, get-out-and-run style, predicated on an athletic pair of wings that have yet to play a minute of Duke basketball—Parker and Hood. The Blue Devils will score in transition and through penetration rather than relying on the three-ball and dumping it into Mason Plumlee. As a long and athletic wing, Alex Murphy fits this style well. Last year, Murphy averaged just over six minutes a game, but, like Jefferson, saw increased minutes in the absence of Ryan Kelly. In the January 23rd loss to Miami, the Rhode Island-product played 23 minutes and scored 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, showing Duke fans why he was once a highly touted recruit. There is no questioning that Murphy has had his moments in his two years with the Blue Devils. He gained popularity as a freshman when there was talk of him starting right out the gate. Then again last season Murphy was the presumptive starter, even starting the preseason games, before taking a seat behind Sulaimon all season. This year, Murphy needs to step up and cash in on all of his potential in order to provide the coaching staff with a viable option to backup Hood and Parker on the wings.