There are 15 men between the ages of 18 and 22 on the Blue Devils’ roster heading into the season. Knowing Mike Krzyzewski, approximately eight of those 15 men will actually play basketball between November and March. But judging by last year’s injury luck, all 15 will play meaningful minutes somehow, so here’s a ranking of the entire roster, only measured in small part by basketball talent.
T14. Jordan Goldwire, Mike Buckmire
Goldwire figures to play little behind the other guards already on the roster, but both Goldwire and Buckmire have fan-favorite potential due to their ability to look like normal college students instead of future millionaire giants.
13. Alex O’Connell
What goes for O’Connell largely goes for Goldwire and Buckmire, but he takes the higher ranking of the three because he earns points for a very fashionable haircut. O’Connell also advances in the rankings for being a Duke lifer, as his dad played for the Blue Devils in the 1970s. Points must also be subtracted for choosing to wear No. 15, an omen that he will leave after one year. I’m not sure if my heart could take that.
12. Antonio Vrankovic
Soft-spoken and very large, Vrankovic inspired with some quality defense and timely offensive minutes last year. There’s not a lot of flash to his game, and he’s become a mostly-trustworthy rotation big.
11. Justin Robinson
Robinson is the ultimate locker room glue guy and will fill the “tall dude from a large metropolitan city” role that Amile Jefferson had. He also inspired an incredible impression from the dearly departed Chase Jeter.
10. Trevon Duval
Despite probably being the best point guard in his class, Duval ranks low because he’s just quietly awesome. There are some John Wall speed and Kyrie Irving layup artist elements to his game, and he will make an NBA team in Indiana very happy in a year, but the Blue Devil faithful will just have to hope he stays healthy, unlike the last guy to wear No. 1.
9. Javin DeLaurier
DeLaurier comes in at number nine on this list, but has to be the most fun player on the roster. The sophomore out of Shipman, Va., has seemingly demonstrated the ability to bend his knees and propel himself through the ceiling of Cameron Indoor. Trust when the scouts say he can jump out of the gym.
8. Marques Bolden
Bolden was the second consecutive five-star big man from the Southwest with high expectations foisted upon him, only to have a quiet freshman year. In his sophomore campaign, Bolden will hopefully diverge with better hands than those before him. We're not asking for Odell Beckham. We'll settle for Jamison Crowder.
7. Jack White
The novelty of having a 100 percent Australian player will never wear off. Should White earn some quality minutes, "The Thunder from Down Under" has the potential to rival Kansas' Sviatoslav "The Ukrainmaker" Mykhailiuk for “Best Nickname Inspired by a Foreign Nation.”
6. Wendell Carter Jr.
Carter may not be the low-block superstar Duke needs, but he could very well be the one it deserves. He’s not Jahlil Okafor, but is a more likely candidate to be on the Dean’s List than I am and has maybe the best tattoo in the history of Duke sports on his chest (that’s a separate ranking to come).
5. Gary Trent Jr.
In addition to having a great Undefeated profile written about him and his father, Trent looks to fill Luke Kennard’s void as the guy who can get a bucket at any time. Although it took Kennard two seasons to turn into a lethal scorer from every level of the floor, Trent may very well be the most fun player on the entire roster because of his heat-check ability.
4. Jordan Tucker
Around national signing day, Duke lost out on five-star wing Kevin Knox. It then pivoted its recruiting efforts to Tucker, who committed after no more than two weeks of consideration. That leads to why Tucker takes this place in the rankings: the amount of vitriol he inspired from the Syracuse fans who had been recruiting him for the better part of two years. If the hallmark of a true-blue Duke basketball player is how much hate he inspires from the rest of America, Tucker got started before he even stepped on campus.
3. Marvin Bagley III
Hyped as the most polished one-and-done prospect since Anthony Davis and wearing Danny Ferry’s retired number for good measure, Bagley brings with him the promise of so many dunks. Bagley could well be DeAndre Jordan with some semblance of a perimeter game for his one year at the college level. I, for one, want to see Bagley dunk someone unconscious like Jordan once did as well.
2. Grayson Allen
If you listen closely, you can hear Allen trying to get his number raised in Cameron’s rafters as the ultimate affront to the sensibilities of sports media and college basketball fans everywhere. Make no mistake, Allen’s senior year is his “Play the Right Way” tour across America as his every action is scrutinized by anyone ever. You don’t have to listen as closely to hear Krzyzewski leading the 9,314 denizens of Cameron Indoor Stadium in a chorus of cackling.
1. Brennan Besser
Besser replaces Nick Pagliuca as the resident high-born walk-on human victory cigar who stunts in a tracksuit. Pagliuca is graduated. Long live Pagliuca.
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