For years it seems that critics of Duke have found ways to nit pick or analyze the Blue Devils short comings as a team. Whether they were Duke's alarming lack of athleticism or their lack of a true point guard, one gripe has always seemingly outweighed them all since about 2006: Duke has no inside presence.
That isn't the case anymore.
Sorry to inform Mitch McGary the days of Duke's big men simply rebounding and setting screens are over, at least for this year thanks in part to Mason Plumlee.
The middle of three Plumlees has improved his game dramatically this season, and aside from his Shaquille O'Nealesque foul shooting, he is quickly becoming a dominant inside presence for the Blue Devils.
His athleticism has always been his greatest attribute but now he has added more strength and a few go-to moves in the post that are making him a complete player.
He has always been able to rebounding, set screens and alter and block shots on the defensive side of the floor, but Plumlee's offensive production has been a bit of a crap shoot at times.
Last year with Kyrie Irving at the point for the first eight games, Plumlee was at times brilliant, but once Irving went down with an injury Plumlee disappeared almost entirely from the offensive game plan.
This year Duke needed Plumlee to step up his game and so far he has done just that. So far this year he is nearly averaging a double double at about 12 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
He has recorded a double double in just under half of his games and has scored in double figures in all but three. He is developing the ability to catch the ball in the post and use his body to get off a good shoot and his little baby hook has become deadly from close range.
Add to that his ability to run the floor and finish with rim rattling dunks and you have a potential force to be reckoned with down low.
Now Plumlee's game isn't without fault. He still dribbles too much at times and when he dribbles bad things tend to happen.
It is that dribbling that causes problem even when he does get the ball in the post. His first tendency at times is to put the ball on the floor in an effort to make a power dribble and move but it usually doesn't turn out well.
And athletic as he is all he needs to really do is catch pivot and shoot or dunk.
Plumlee is also a tremendous liability at the free throw line, he is shooting about 38 percent from the foul line.
That was clearly a problem against Washington, when Duke allowed the Huskies to get back into the game and the team as a whole struggled from the charity stripe.
That is one facet of his game that needs to get better for him to be able to be on the floor in close games because the Blue Devils are going to really need his services.
But moving forward Plumlee is growing into his role as Duke's post player, and become a guy that opposing teams have to prepare for because he isn't just setting screens and rebounding anymore. If you are an opposing player I wouldn't be too quick to think that because you are likely to end up on a poster soon enough.
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