Duke basketball: Interesting perspective on Blue Devils freshmen

Results from a recent poll further demonstrate the uncertainty over which Duke basketball freshmen will contribute most next season.

Four scholarship freshmen. All potential Duke basketball stars. No clear-cut favorite. In this regard, though not quite as collectively high on recruiting rankings, the primary question about this year’s class is the same one folks asked about a former four-man class in Durham.

Leading up to the 1997-98 season, fans nor rankings could agree on who would be the top weapons among freshmen Elton Brand, Shane Battier, William Avery, and Chris Burgess. Once the season began, on the other hand, it didn’t take long to at least find out which one was the most overrated in high school (sorry, Burgess).

The 247Sports Composite says the order of Duke’s 2019 talents is as follows: center Vernon Carey Jr. (No. 6), power forward Matthew Hurt (No. 12), small forward Wendell Moore (No. 29), and shooting guard Cassius Stanley (No. 37).

A Twitter poll this week from The Chronicle, though, says in terms of excitement level for each freshman, fans — at least those who follow the student newspaper’s Duke basketball account — see the order much differently than the rankings: Stanley (35 percent of the 1,788 votes), Hurt (28 percent), Carey Jr. (23 percent), and Moore (14 percent).

Granted, the aerial style of Stanley screams excitement. But fans would have little to be excited about if they didn’t believe the 6-foot-6, 195-pounder out of Los Angeles would play significant minutes.

ALSO READ: Cassius Stanley drops the hammer on NBA All-Stars

And seeing that Moore is almost all substance — with only a sprinkling of flash — and younger fans typically enjoy high-powered offense more than defense and dirty work, it’s not too much of a shock the 6-foot-6, 215-pound North Carolinian moves the excitement needle less than his fellow newbies.

Another takeaway from the poll is fans may be underestimating the joy they’ll find from watching Hurt as the 6-foot-9, 215-pound Minnesota native drops buckets from nearly every spot on the floor with his quick, pillowy release.

Finally, fans may also be underestimating the sheer size and force of Carey Jr. — a 6-foot-10, 275-pound Floridian — not to mention the potential giggles from seeing his bruiser look and personality intimidate opponents. Try not to laugh at this 10-second clip:

https://twitter.com/SLAM_HS/status/1095877773447581696?s=20

There will be no laughing, though, if a couple of the Duke basketball freshmen fail to produce to the degree their rankings say they should. With only Tre Jones as a proven returning stud, it’s possible the Blue Devils will count on Carey Jr., Hurt, Moore, and Stanley each to start — and star.

ALSO READ: Cassius Stanley labels one fellow freshman ‘brilliant’

But all Duke basketball fans can do now is cross fingers that when the Blue Devils officially debut inside Madison Square Garden against Kansas at the Champions Classic on Nov. 5, all four freshmen will look more like Brand, Battier, and Avery than Burgess (sorry again, Burgess).

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions concerning the 2019-20 Duke basketball team.