Duke basketball: Coach K looking for his next elite floor general

Goldwire vs. Roach, Final Round

Jordan Goldwire is a rising senior for a program that has seen its share of one-and-done players during the last decade. There is significant value in senior leadership, particularly for a team so young. There are six scholarship recruits heading to Durham this fall, outnumbering four returning players and a graduate transfer.

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Although Goldwire has only 15 career starts, he has played in 92 games for Mike Krzyzewski and averaged just over 13 minutes per game. At 24.1 minutes per game last season, Goldwire logged more minutes than any other returning Blue Devil.

Goldwire’s freshman counterpart has zero collegiate games started in zero collegiate games played.

It is incredibly difficult to quantify experience, particularly since many first-year point guards have experienced great success under Coach K. However, three of the last four first-year floor generals played under experienced veterans. Frank Jackson played with junior Grayson Allen and senior Matt Jones, Derryck Thornton played next to Matt Jones during his junior year, and Tyus Jones took the court with senior Quinn Cook on the 2015 title team.

Jeremy Roach will learn and develop under Goldwire’s tutelage, and that is why I give the nod to the veteran here.

EDGE: Jordan Goldwire

While the newcomer is explosive and uber-talented, the senior is experienced, has great handles, and could again put up an elite assist-to-turnover ratio. There is little doubt that Roach will see his minutes on Coach K Court this fall, but it is the veteran Goldwire who should get the nod to start.

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