Before even taking the court against another opponent, the Blue Devils are already having to deal with adversity.
With freshman big man Harry Giles already on the sidelines as he recovers from left knee surgery, Duke received news Wednesday that freshman swingman Jayson Tatum would be out for two weeks due to a left foot sprain he suffered Tuesday in front of NBA scouts. The pair of injuries to the talented newcomers—ranked in the top five of their recruiting class—leaves the top-ranked Blue Devils shorthanded as they approach their first exhibition contest Friday against Virginia State at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Despite the setbacks, Duke is keeping a positive mentality, and was not concerned with the severity of Tatum’s injury.
“This is the best possible news,” Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a press release Wednesday. “It is a manageable injury that will not impact Jayson long-term. We look forward to having him back very soon.”
With Tatum out for Friday’s exhibition, Duke’s supposed strengths this season—greater depth and versatility—will be put to the test right away. Last year’s squad ran one of Krzyzewski’s shortest rotations in recent memory, leaving them particularly vulnerable to injuries and foul trouble—issues that led to several of the Blue Devils’ losses.
This year, those same weaknesses are expected to become strengths, thanks to the return of All-American guard Grayson Allen and captain Amile Jefferson, and the additions of highly-touted freshmen Giles, Tatum, guard Frank Jackson, center Marques Bolden and forward Javin DeLaurier.
“We don’t have that fear that we might have had in the back of our minds last year of injury, the risk of injury in practice, just because we didn’t have as many guys to go with,” sophomore Chase Jeter said at Duke's media day Oct. 4. “So being able to have more guys and be deeper at other positions—that’s definitely a good thing for our team.”
The other mantra for this Duke team in the preseason has been “positionless basketball”, as an abundance of athleticism and a lack of a true point guard have kept Krzyzewski from defining specific roles on the court. At 6-foot-8, Tatum—who showed off his array of offensive moves at Countdown to Craziness last week with a team-high 18 points—represented the Blue Devils’ overall versatility and was their best threat on the wing.
Jackson—a 6-foot-3 combo guard—is a likely candidate to slide into the starting lineup Friday after impressing at Countdown and leading the Blue team with 12 points. But with the Alpine, Utah, native, and the returning trio of Allen, Jones and sophomore Luke Kennard as options in the backcourt, Krzyzewski has been clear that with the team's versatility, performance will determine playing time.
“Amile is smart. Grayson will bring it up, and Luke [Kennard] and Frank. I wouldn’t call any of them our point guard,” Krzyzewski said after Countdown. “I’d just say we’re going to try to put five good players out there all the time.”
Duke will take on a Trojan squad that is coming off a 24-6 season in the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Virginia State dominated its conference last year with a 14-2 record in CIAA play—topping the division by three games—and three double-digit wins in the conference tournament as it took home the title.
The Trojans are expected to lead the pack again this season and return top scorers Kevin Williams and Elijah Moore—a pair of seniors who combined for 29.0 points per game in 2015-16 and both earned spots on the preseason All-CIAA team. After a strong freshman campaign in which he shot better than 44 percent from 3-point range, Cyonte Melvin returns to the backcourt for the Trojans and is expected to help carry the offensive load alongside Williams and Moore.
But for a Duke team that has not faced anyone but each other since summer workouts began, the players are just happy to get on the court and see a different team across from them.
“I love the guys, but it’s going to be fun when we get to play against somebody else and start the season,” Jackson said after Countdown. “I can’t wait [for Friday].”
Sameer Pandhare contributed reporting.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.