Every fanbase has a theme to its offseason discourse. Some always think this will be “their year.” Others hope this will be the last year for their besieged head coach. The lucky few chart their path to a potential
national championship.
For Duke fans, every offseason discussion eventually reaches the inevitable question: “Is this the year the Blue Devils finally use their bench?“
During Mike Krzyzewski’s tenure, the debate was a fool’s errand. Coach K was known for many things, including a very tight rotation. Case in point: the unofficial mantra of the 2015 National Champions was, “Eight is enough,” reflecting the number of scholarship players on the squad following two midseason departures.
Jon Scheyer largely followed this blueprint in his first two seasons, with his rotation in tight games rarely exceeding that magic number of eight players. The same was largely true last season, even if who that eighth man was changed throughout the year.
A week into the season, though, there’s real reason to believe this year will be different.
The evidence isn’t in Duke’s expected comfortable win over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon. Instead, look at the Blue Devil’s season opening victory over Texas, a game that was much more competitive than the 15 point final margin. In a tight second half, against a quality Big 12 opponent, all nine of Duke’s rotation players saw playing time. All nine at minimum attempted a field goal or earned free throws. That in itself is a pretty sizable departure from recent Blue Devil history. The numbers paint an even prettier picture over the whole contest: all nine Duke rotation pieces played at least 8 minutes and contributed at least two points, a rebound, and an assist.
In a small sample size, it certainly seems as if Scheyer expects all nine of his rotation players to contribute each game. Their versatility is a key to this confidence: through two games we’ve seen spurts where Duke’s two centers (Pat Ngongba and Maliq Brown) have shared the floor, and also glimpses of a two point guard lineup with Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer. Isaiah Evans, Dame Sarr, and Darren Harris can all play either wing position. Nik Khamenia is most at home on the wing but has slid down to the traditional power forward spot as well.
True, Duke’s depth did take a hit on paper when Scheyer announced that the Blue Devils’ projected 10th man, Sebastian Wilkins, would redshirt this year. But even that development can be interpreted as Scheyer having confidence that the combination of Cameron Boozer, Brown, Ngongba, and Khamenia can collectively man the traditional 4 and 5 spots, leaving Wilkins—himself a traditional 4—largely redundant.
There is plenty of time during Duke’s gauntlet of a non-conference schedule for Scheyer to revert to form and lean on a 7 or 8 man group in competitive games. But Harris, Duke’s nominal ninth man, has been particularly impressive through two games not only by creating spacing with his plus shooting, but by consistently making the hustle plays that earn you playing time. If a tighter rotation develops, it will likely be by choice, not necessity, a luxury Duke fans should be thankful for.
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