The Duke Blue Devils basketball team lost 3 starters to graduation from last year’s national championship team, including All-American guard and captain Jon Scheyer, fellow Captain forward Lance Thomas, and breakout center Brian Zoubek. Accordingly, and despite being the preseason favorite to repeat this year, several questions surround the 2010-2011 Duke Blue Devils as they look to mount their title defense.
How will the Plumlees fare in the paint?
The graduation of Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek means large shoes to fill for the Plumlee brothers, Miles and Mason, who are expected to start in the post for Duke. Though athletic dynamos and stat sheet stuffers they were not, Thomas and Zoubek provided Duke with senior leadership, outstanding defense, and tremendous rebounding, with Zoubek emerging as the best offensive rebounder in the country by year’s end (7.7 OR/40mins). They were the consummate role players, perfectly complementing the tremendous talent and offensive firepower of Duke’s big 3: Scheyer, Smith and Singler (or in the words of Dickie V, Super, Scintillating and Sensational).
While the Plumlee brothers enter the season with less experience than did the departed seniors a season ago, (by the end of his junior year Lance Thomas alone had played more minutes (1745), in more games (100) and made more starts (62), then the Plumlee brothers have in their 3 combined seasons: 1299mins, 98 games and 27starts) there is no denying that Mason and Miles’ ceilings are much higher than their former teammates’, and most agree that they have just begun to scratch the surface of their potential. At 6’10″ and roughly 240lbs each, they combine size and strength with out-of-this-world athleticism, running the floor like gazelles and catching alley-oops as if they were former all-state high jumpers — oh wait, they were. This combination will be most formidable in the paint where the MPs will be expected to guard the basket, block shots and fight for rebounds.
Not just gifted athletes with tall genes, both brothers possess natural basketball skills that make them serious weapons in the post on offense, something Duke sorely lacked last year. Neither is a traditional back-to-the-basket banger in the mold of Shelden Williams, Carlos Boozer, or Elton Brand, and neither possesses their level of offensive polish, but both have games that significantly outpace their predecessors. Both brothers are comfortable facing up and taking their man off the dribble, pulling up for a mid-range jumpshot, or even the occasional 3. Miles in particular showed off an ability to knock down the mid-range jumper last year, and Mason was not afraid to shoot the 3 if his man backed off him. As a former point guard for his high school team, Mason has also demonstrated a guard-like ability to handle and pass the ball that may remind some Duke fans of former Duke bigman Josh McRoberts. Even so, both can improve their offensive repertoire as neither possesses a true go-to move at this point.
WHAT TO EXPECT
With the return of All-Americans Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, and the arrival of McDonald’s All-American Kyrie Irving, and dead-eye shooter Seth Curry, there will be plenty of offense around the Plumlee brothers and they will not have much pressure to score. Much like their predecessors from last year’s team, they will be asked to play defense & rebound. Still, Duke fans can almost certainly expect the MPs to improve upon last year’s scoring output from the post. During last year’s title run, Thomas and Zoubek combined for 10.4pts in a combined 44mins/game, while the Plumlees managed 9.0pts in only 31mins/game. On a per 40 minutes basis, that means the MPs outscored their senior teammates by over 20%. Combine their expected bump in minutes (both will play over 20mpg) with their superior abilities and a year of maturation, and the MPs should dwarf last year’s scoring output from the post.
While the Plumlees added offense will be a pleasant addition to this year’s team, there will be an effective use of their size and athleticism to control the paint and the glass. Miles has spent another off-season working on his body as he will be called upon to guard the other team’s center most frequently and reports are that he is absolutely chiseled and ready to be a giant amongst men in the always physical ACC. Associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski commented this summer that Miles “did a great job in the weight room adding strength” and is now “poised to make a big jump as a player.” Expect Miles to be a physical presence down low this year dominating the glass, affecting shots, and making more than his fair share of highlight-reel dunks, while occasionally knocking down the open jumpshot.
Before the season began last year, Coach K commented that if the season started that day, Mason would have been a starter. Some people were calling him the most talented player on the team and a future lottery pick. Soon thereafter, Mason broke his wrist in practice and missed crucial time in the pre and early-season getting acclimated with the college game. This undoubtedly slowed his development and kept him from being the player many expected. He sometimes looked uncomfortable with the ball, often forcing shots from 1v1 moves and not playing within the offense. Mason still managed to show signs of his purported talent scoring in double figures 3 times and imposing his presence down low with a variety of highlight reel blocks and dunks. This year hopes to see Mason contributing on a more consistent basis and finding his place within Duke’s high-powered offense, while continuing to make SportsCenter highlights on a frequent basis.
NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN
Bigger things are also expected from Ryan Kelly, who spent his off-season bulking up from 220 to 235 pounds to better handle the rigors of post-play in the ACC. Ryan is also listed as the tallest player on the team at 6’11″ and is a highly-skilled big man with an excellent jumpshot and range to the three-point line. Expect him to be the first sub off the bench for either Plumlee and to stretch the floor from the PF position creating mismatches much like Kyle Singler did his first two years in Durham.
Next up, Part II: What to expect from Duke’s newest additions to the backcourt, Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry.
