Duke basketball recruiters chasing wrong top five power forward?

The only 2021 power forward holding a Duke basketball offer isn’t looking like a future Blue Devil, so another high school junior of similar caliber at the same position seems worth looking into further.

It sure would be sweet to see O’Dea (Wash.) junior Paolo Banchero rock a Duke basketball jersey the season after next while punishing foes with his rock-solid game and frame.

Problem is, though, seeing that the No. 3 recruit on the 247Sports 2021 Composite was using laughing emojis on Twitter following No. 1 Duke’s historic upset loss to Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday night, it now seems safe to assume Banchero — whose 247Sports Crystal Ball pegs him to land at Washington — won’t end up spending his college days in Durham.

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Meanwhile, the next power forward on the composite rankings and No. 5 overall prospect, Sandy Creek (Ga.) junior Jabari Smith Jr., has attracted interest from Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants — members of the staff visited his high school in September — but, unlike Banchero, does not yet possess a Duke offer.

ALSO READ: Blue Devils add tantalizing five-star to targets

That said, Rivals recruiting insider Corey Evans wrote from the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta on Saturday that the battle for Smith Jr., who scored 20 points for his high school during a win at the event on Friday night, is likely about to turn more blue-blooded and that Duke seems to be one of the many powerhouses on the verge of officially entering the mix.

“Duke and Kentucky have begun to show attention towards the five-star,” Evans noted, “while Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, and LSU are among the group that has prioritized him the greatest. Tennessee just offered earlier this week as things are edging towards a blue-blood affair.”

Smith Jr. is a 6-foot-9, 195-pound five-star and namesake of a former LSU center who went on to play five years in the NBA. His game’s key selling points include his swift movements, sharp instincts as a clean-up guy around the rim, smooth pull-up jumper extending to beyond the arc, and secure handles in the open court. His primary weaknesses, as one can see below, are his less-than-ideal strength and so-so bounce.

Though the Duke basketball coaches have snagged two potential multi-year power forwards from the 2020 class in four-stars Henry Coleman and Jaemyn Brakefield, four-star Mark Williams remains their only 2020 center. Therefore, assuming all current big men in Durham will no longer be around by the 2021-22 season, there would appear to be plenty of room for a presence like Smith Jr.

ALSO READ: Stacking up the six 2020 Duke signees

Besides, unlike Banchero, Smith Jr. hasn’t appeared to give folks any reason to believe he might be an anti-Duke guy at heart. That observation in addition to his versatile skillset, unteachable length, and multiplying heavyweight suitors indicates that if Coach K and his cohorts are serious about hauling in a five-star 2021 power forward, they might need to soon move on from Banchero and start investing more time courting Smith Jr. (his Crystal Ball does not yet contain any picks).

The Blue Devils are already ahead of schedule on the 2021 recruiting trail with the commitment on Nov. 4 from five-star small forward A.J. Griffin. The staff’s current outstanding offers to juniors are also all to five-stars: Banchero, small forward Jonathan Kuminga, small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., and shooting guard Max Christie.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.