Duke men's basketball kicks off season with open practice

Six months removed from capturing the program's fifth national title in April, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils officially kicked off their 2015-16 season Friday afternoon with an open practice available to the public. The squad that took the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday looked very different from the one that cut down the nets at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis—gone were the likes of Quinn Cook, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow, and in their places stood Brandon Ingram, Chase Jeter, Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton.

The team will kick off its regular-season slate Nov. 13 at home against Sienna as part of the 2K Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. Before that, Duke will host a pair of exhibition contests—against Florida Southern Oct. 30 and Livingstone Nov. 4—and will scrimmage itself during the annual Countdown to Craziness showcase Oct. 17.

Here are some observations from the open practice:

• Freshman Antonio Vrankovic dressed but did not practice due to a walking boot he was wearing on his right foot. The 7-foot center appeared to be able to walk around without too much trouble and participated in stretching drills, but did not partake in any of the individual or team drills on the court.
• During a segment in which the coaching staff split up perimeter and post players to work on finishing at the rim, swingman Brandon Ingram was grouped with the other guards on the roster. Thornton is the Blue Devils' lone true point guard on the roster, though shooting guards Kennard, sophomore Grayson Allen and Matt Jones could see time handling the ball. Ingram stands at 6-foot-9, 190 pounds, and it remains to be seen if his frame can withstand the pounding required to play at the three or four spots at the college level.
• Physicality could be an issue for this Duke squad. In addition to Ingram, the 6-foot-10 Jeter and 6-foot-2 Thornton seemed small for their positions. Without the physical presences of Okafor and Winslow, redshirt senior Marshall Plumlee is the biggest physical threat the Blue Devils have. The wild card here is redshirt sophomore Sean Obi—a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward who sat out last season due to transfer rules but can be a bruiser down in the post if he proves himself ready to take on a significant role.
• Matt Jones was the star of the day for the Blue Devils, as the junior captain nailed several treys from behind the arc—albeit with no defense around him—and looked comfortable asserting himself within the flow of the offense. After starting at the three spot during last season's national championship run, Jones did more ball-handling in the open practice and functioned as a more traditional two guard. The DeSoto, Texas, native has made his biggest impact on the defensive end of the court in his first two years in Durham, but he looks as if he is poised to make some big contributions offensively this season as well.