One early injury could send Duke basketball team into free fall

A significant early injury to any of the top three Duke basketball weapons may translate into a heap of problems and losses by Christmas.

At No. 4 entering the season, one would think it would have to take a while for the Duke basketball squad to fall out of the AP Top 25 Poll. Think again.

God forbid, but if one or more of a select trio suffers a weeks-to-heal injury either before the opener on Nov. 5 against No. 3 Kansas or shortly thereafter, the Blue Devils could find themselves with a handful of losses — potentially even a .500 record — only 31 days into the season.

While the Blue Devils seemingly have more depth than in recent years, what some see as depth others would argue is just parity among a bunch of mediocre role players. What is difficult to imagine — especially following the Blue-White Game from Friday night that was far less breathtaking than recent versions — is any alphas emerging outside of sophomore point guard Tre Jones, freshman center Vernon Carey Jr., and freshman power forward Matthew Hurt.

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Without Jones, Duke would be all but lost, likely counting on one of its junior guards, Jordan Goldwire or Alex O’Connell, to fill in as the starting floor general. Yikes.

Without Carey Jr., the Blue Devils would lack an intimidating presence down low and probably have no choice but to simply hope Javin DeLaurier could play 30-plus minutes a game without fouling out. Good luck with that.

Without Hurt, O’Connell would be the team’s only proven outside shooter; plus, only two guys who are definitely capable of averaging double-figure points — Jones and Carey Jr. — would be left. Ouch.

Obviously, injuries are impossible to predict. That being said, their abundance in Durham across recent seasons suggests one would be foolish not to expect one or two before the new year.

Granted, after Kansas, there is nothing too terribly daunting about Duke’s next seven opponents: Colorado State, Central Arkansas, Georgia State, Cal, either Georgetown or Texas, Stephen F. Austin, and Winthrop. However, though none are ranked, at least three have enough specialty weapons to give themselves a chance at what would look like an upset over the Blue Devils on paper but might not be much of an upset at all if Jones, Carey Jr., or Hurt is out of the lineup.

Following that stretch, Duke plays at No. 1 Michigan State on Dec. 3 — a monumental task even with Tuesday’s announcement that sharpshooter Josh Langford will be out with a foot injury at least until January. Three days later is a trip to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech, a visit that regularly poses problems for Duke — even when the Hokies are in the midst of a down year and the Blue Devils are fully healthy.

In short, a 6-4 or even 5-5 start to the season — though rather unlikely when considering the 40-year track record of the Duke basketball legend at the helm — may only be one injury away from becoming reality.

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Of course, despite the potential dangers ahead, at this point, the team is only one win away from starting the season 1-0 — maybe even due to several so-called role players proving they are actually budding stars — and thereby quickly putting many worries to bed.

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