Post/Article by Eric Jesse
2/9/2019
Corn Fed Sports and Entertainment
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- post by Eric
2/9/2019
Corn Fed Sports and Entertainment
Duke basketball has been making regular headlines since the beginning of my fandom and love for the game of basketball. This year, however, Duke seems to be in the headlines more than they ever have before. Which is saying something considering how great Duke basketball has been throughout the years and the masterful job Coach K has done since he took over. This Duke team is highlighted by a cupboard stocked full of talent. There are three potential top five picks in the 2019 NBA draft on this team which include Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish.
Williamson is a freak of nature. The dude is 6'7 and is listed at 285 pounds of mostly muscle. Looking at him makes you question how the "kid" is 18 years old and makes you wonder if he legitimately is 18 after remembering how you looked at age 18. It doesn't stop at just his physical makeup he is a straight freak athlete. The speed, quickness, and leaping ability at his weight doesn't seem like it is possible at his weight. The guy is easy to cheer for as he seems to be very humble and an overall great person. Which can be surprising in our sports-driven culture today. He has been the most scrutinized and covered professional-athlete prospect since 2003 (Lebron James). 24 games into his collegiate career he has been everything we expected him to be. Williamson is currently average 22 points per game, 9.3 rebounds a game, as well as over 2 assists, steals, and blocks per game. While watching him play out there he literally looks like a man playing with boys. He is an NBA player right now and it is only a matter of time before he is playing in the association. I would expect him to continue with how he is playing and set himself up to be taken with the #1 pick this summer. His game translates very well to the current style of the NBA in regardless of a "positionless" league. The only question marks are if he has the quickness to guard these multiple positions as well as be able to drive past his opponents. Right now, he relies a lot on his athletic ability and strength to score. His outside shooting will have to continue to develop if he wants to be the "stretch 4". Overall, anytime would be thrilled to get him and would be a perfect building block for a potential rebuilding team. I would be surprised if he was not the #1 pick. RJ Barrett has also been exactly what we expected he would be at Duke. He can score with the best of them and is a slasher, with a little bit of streaky outside game. At Duke, he is averaging 22.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and almost 4 assists per game. He is not as great of a pure athlete as Williamson, but still is a good athlete with the ability to get to the rim. He is also very long and has the potential skill set to be an elite defender at the next level. Any other year he could very well be the #1 pick easily but with Williamson, it could be impossible. The dude can get any shot he wants which can be huge for any of the lottery-stricken NBA teams. As he continues to mature and grow into his body it will only improve his finishing which is seen as a bit of weakness currently. His outside will also need to continue to improve and develop if he wants to live up to the hype for the next level. Currently, I believe he will be the #3 pick behind Ja Morant out of Murray State. The last prospect from Duke is Cam Reddish. He had a bit of a slow start this season which included some injury issues but has bounced back nicely as of late. Reddish is currently averaging 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals per game. What we saw in Duke's huge comeback against Louisville was great for Reddish's NBA draft stock. The man can flat out shoot the basketball. He has a huge upside going forward and is another one of the long, athletic players that we see taking over the NBA today. At the next level, he has the potential immediately to be an elite "3-and-D" because of his length and shooting ability. It is not showcased a ton at Duke because of his teammates, but he can still put the ball on the deck and finish at the rim. He is my favorite prospect coming out of Duke strictly because he has a ton of potential left and his ceiling hasn't even started to get scratched yet. Reddish may have the biggest impact on whether or not Duke has a long tournament run because of his shooting ability. Duke lacks shooters and he can help make up this deficiency. If the draft were tomorrow, I would take Reddish with the #4 pick after current teammate RJ Barrett. It will be fun to see how all three of these guys game translates to the next level and all have the potential to be elite NBA players. This is one of the most talented teams we have seen at the collegiate level in recent memory. Teammates have never gone 1, 2, and 3 in any professional draft and it very well could happen this year. These three have brought back a little of the excitement to collegiate basketball that has been lacking as of late. I have watched more college basketball this year (outside of the Iowa Hawkeyes) then I have ever, and part of it is because of these three. There is a ton of talent as a whole in the NCAA which also helps after a couple of "down years". March Madness is always exciting, however, with the extra spice and talent this year it will only be that much more exciting and competitive. However, as a result of Duke's extreme talent don't be surprised to see them cutting down the net's in early April. If I were a betting man that's who I would have my money on.
Williamson is a freak of nature. The dude is 6'7 and is listed at 285 pounds of mostly muscle. Looking at him makes you question how the "kid" is 18 years old and makes you wonder if he legitimately is 18 after remembering how you looked at age 18. It doesn't stop at just his physical makeup he is a straight freak athlete. The speed, quickness, and leaping ability at his weight doesn't seem like it is possible at his weight. The guy is easy to cheer for as he seems to be very humble and an overall great person. Which can be surprising in our sports-driven culture today. He has been the most scrutinized and covered professional-athlete prospect since 2003 (Lebron James). 24 games into his collegiate career he has been everything we expected him to be. Williamson is currently average 22 points per game, 9.3 rebounds a game, as well as over 2 assists, steals, and blocks per game. While watching him play out there he literally looks like a man playing with boys. He is an NBA player right now and it is only a matter of time before he is playing in the association. I would expect him to continue with how he is playing and set himself up to be taken with the #1 pick this summer. His game translates very well to the current style of the NBA in regardless of a "positionless" league. The only question marks are if he has the quickness to guard these multiple positions as well as be able to drive past his opponents. Right now, he relies a lot on his athletic ability and strength to score. His outside shooting will have to continue to develop if he wants to be the "stretch 4". Overall, anytime would be thrilled to get him and would be a perfect building block for a potential rebuilding team. I would be surprised if he was not the #1 pick. RJ Barrett has also been exactly what we expected he would be at Duke. He can score with the best of them and is a slasher, with a little bit of streaky outside game. At Duke, he is averaging 22.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and almost 4 assists per game. He is not as great of a pure athlete as Williamson, but still is a good athlete with the ability to get to the rim. He is also very long and has the potential skill set to be an elite defender at the next level. Any other year he could very well be the #1 pick easily but with Williamson, it could be impossible. The dude can get any shot he wants which can be huge for any of the lottery-stricken NBA teams. As he continues to mature and grow into his body it will only improve his finishing which is seen as a bit of weakness currently. His outside will also need to continue to improve and develop if he wants to live up to the hype for the next level. Currently, I believe he will be the #3 pick behind Ja Morant out of Murray State. The last prospect from Duke is Cam Reddish. He had a bit of a slow start this season which included some injury issues but has bounced back nicely as of late. Reddish is currently averaging 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals per game. What we saw in Duke's huge comeback against Louisville was great for Reddish's NBA draft stock. The man can flat out shoot the basketball. He has a huge upside going forward and is another one of the long, athletic players that we see taking over the NBA today. At the next level, he has the potential immediately to be an elite "3-and-D" because of his length and shooting ability. It is not showcased a ton at Duke because of his teammates, but he can still put the ball on the deck and finish at the rim. He is my favorite prospect coming out of Duke strictly because he has a ton of potential left and his ceiling hasn't even started to get scratched yet. Reddish may have the biggest impact on whether or not Duke has a long tournament run because of his shooting ability. Duke lacks shooters and he can help make up this deficiency. If the draft were tomorrow, I would take Reddish with the #4 pick after current teammate RJ Barrett. It will be fun to see how all three of these guys game translates to the next level and all have the potential to be elite NBA players. This is one of the most talented teams we have seen at the collegiate level in recent memory. Teammates have never gone 1, 2, and 3 in any professional draft and it very well could happen this year. These three have brought back a little of the excitement to collegiate basketball that has been lacking as of late. I have watched more college basketball this year (outside of the Iowa Hawkeyes) then I have ever, and part of it is because of these three. There is a ton of talent as a whole in the NCAA which also helps after a couple of "down years". March Madness is always exciting, however, with the extra spice and talent this year it will only be that much more exciting and competitive. However, as a result of Duke's extreme talent don't be surprised to see them cutting down the net's in early April. If I were a betting man that's who I would have my money on.
References
Duke Blue Devils Stats - 2018-19. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/150/table/game/sort/avgAssists/dir/desc
Create Your Own Mock Draft. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://www.nbadraft.net/
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