Guarding against a drop-off in the backcourt

A season ago, the combination of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones faced questions about backcourt chemistry before the duo emerged as one of the ACC’s top tandems during the course of the year.

Heading into this season, Duke’s guard spots are once again in flux, but this time around, there appear to be no clear answers. Familiar faces in Matt Jones and Grayson Allen, along with highly touted freshmen Derryck Thornton and Luke Kennard, all bring varied skill sets to the table and remain in contention for ball-handling duties.

“Our team will be very fluid in that way, where you may not have the same starting line up all the time or the same team that starts at the beginning of the game and in the second half,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I don’t know that we’re going to turn it over to one particular person. I think we’re going to be a team that runs a lot of motion offense.”

The conventional solution would be to name Thornton the starting point guard. The Chatsworth, Calif., native was the 17th-ranked player in the ESPN Class of 2015 after reclassifying and committing to the Blue Devils. With the quickness to blow by defenders and set up teammates and a savvy handle that will produce highlight-reel plays, Thornton fits the bill as the quintessential floor-general for a perimeter-oriented team.

“He’s got the ball on a string,” Allen said. “Being able to push the ball up the court and keep control of the ball like that is going to be really good, especially for our team, as athletic as we are.”

But the freshman also comes with a question mark—inexperience.

“Me being a little bit younger than everybody else and just being a point guard, it takes some time, but I’m starting to turn the [corner],” Thornton said. “I think the biggest difference really is building a relationship with the guys. I wasn’t here over the summer so I didn’t get that chance to build a relationship with all the guys so I’m trying to play catch-up in that aspect.”

Just a few months ago, Allen was the inexperienced freshman that people were concerned about in high-pressure contests against top opponents. But after his game-changing performance in the team’s national championship victory, those concerns have subsided. With his intensity and high-level of activity all across the court, the sophomore is now prepared to take his game to the next level on both ends of the floor.

For Allen, the next step is consistency. Playing big minutes offers the guard less leeway for over-aggressive fouls or mistakes afforded to him by his role off the bench a year ago. With teams beginning to game-plan for him, the Jacksonville, Fla., native will have to learn to channel frustration when he’s denied the ball and continue to compete on the other end. Similar to Cook and Tyus Jones a year ago, it may be the ability of Allen and Thornton to coexist in the backcourt that determines the team’s success this season.

“We try to get each other better in practice each and every day,” Thornton said. “Whether that’s playing with each other, trying to get each other open, get shots for each other, or just playing against each other, guarding each other, banging with each other, it’s just all about us getting better. I want him to push me and I know he wants me to push him.”

Kennard presents another option the Blue Devils could turn to, especially when in need of shooting. With a smooth lefty stroke and the ability to navigate to open spots on the court, the former Ohio Mr. Basketball is capable of lighting it up from distance. Often overshadowed by the scoring records Kennard broke in high school is the fact that the freshman stands at 6-foot-5 and has the athleticism to contribute as both a rebounder and defender.

But another factor in Duke’s backcourt could in fact be elder statesman Matt Jones. In the team’s opening exhibition game against Florida Southern, Krzyzewski opted for a big lineup featuring the 6-foot-5 Jones in the backcourt. Although he may not have the ball-handling skills or quickness of last year’s floor generals, Jones’ versatility to defend the opposing team’s best player and nail open perimeter jumpers makes him an option for the Blue Devils.

The likely outcome of the backcourt dilemma will be a mix-and-match approach depending on the opponent. When facing speedy, guard-oriented teams, Krzyzewski can employ Thornton’s game-changing quickness. But against teams with more conventional lineups that look to play in the backcourt, Allen’s size or Jones’ defensive prowess may win out.

In the perimeter-oriented state of college basketball today, Duke’s ability to find the perfect combinations of its four McDonald’s All-Americans in the backcourt could decide how well the team defends its national title.