Three reasons Duke basketball may suffer double-digit losses next season

Too much talent?

There is an enormous amount of talent heading to Durham this fall, and that, itself, could prove problematic. Coach Mike Krzyzewski could conceivably start five McDonald’s High School All-Americans this season.

Point guard Jeremy Roach, combo guard DJ Steward, wing Wendell Moore Jr., shooting forward Matthew Hurt, and center Mark Williams all were selected to play in the premier high school roundball classic. Roach comes in ranked No. 21 nationally on the 247Sports 2020 Composite, Steward is ranked No. 24, and Williams is ranked No. 29.

ALSO READ: Three Duke names for Matthew Hurt to study this offseason

In addition to these five former prep All-Americans, Krzyzewski welcomes the nation’s No. 11 overall prospect Jalen Johnson, No. 37 prospect Jaemyn Brakefield, and No. 44 prospect Henry Coleman. For those of you keeping count, that already makes eight players looking for minutes on Coach K Court next season.

Add to those eight, senior guard Jordan Goldwire, senior center Patrick Tape, and junior forward Joey Baker, and you now have 11 players competing for just 200 minutes per game.

Five McDonald’s All-Americans, three more freshmen ranked in the top 45 nationally, and three experienced veterans all vying for playing time could potentially make for some unhappy reserves on the bench in Durham. Disgruntled talent could potentially eat away at the chemistry Krzyzewski strives so hard to create in his program.

ALSO READ: Six reasons Coach K may never retire

Inexperience, lack of size, or too much talent could prove problematic for the 73-year-old Coach K heading into his 41st season. The college game’s all-time wins leader may have to overcome just one or a combination of all three obstacles in order to avoid excessive losses next season.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates, analyses, and opinions regarding all things Duke basketball.