Duke basketball: Dream lineup for 2021-22 season

Ideal hybrid forward for 2021-22 Duke basketball team: Patrick Baldwin Jr.

The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2021 class. The youngest recipient of a Duke basketball offer since Mike Krzyzewski assumed the throne 40 years ago. The silkiest outside shooter, arguably, among all current preps. The namesake of a Division I head coach. Already a hoops savant at the age of 17. A mature self-assurance far beyond his years.

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Yup, any analysts who dare doubt the potential NCAA prowess of Hamilton (Wis.) small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. would have a tough time defending their criticism after viewing the below mixtape or any of his others. That must be why any such assessments are near impossible to find anywhere in the same paragraph as the polished five-star.

But the question remains, will Baldwin Jr. join The Brotherhood? Well, the latest answer to that among recruiting insiders falls somewhere between “probably” and “almost definitely” (he’s indicated 99 percent certainty at going the college route). Despite an impressive 10-deep list of favorites, most see his dad at close-to-home UW-Milwaukee as the top competitor to Coach K in the race.

Taking into account that tidbit plus the fact that the 247Sports Crystal Ball has unanimously pegged Baldwin Jr. as a future Blue Devil ever since he landed the Duke offer two summers ago, it may only be a matter of time — his exact timeline for a decision is still a bit blurry — before the phenom makes Dukie’s 2021-22 dreams come true.

Speaking of a 2021-22 dream, it’s time we unveil the projected piece down low…