Duke basketball: 20 serious concerns about 2020-21 Blue Devils

Question No. 14 for the 2020-21 Duke basketball team…

Does Jaemyn Brakefield have any unrealistic expectations that might spoil his season?

In some ways, Jaemyn Brakefield is in a similar situation to that of Cassius Stanley last season. He enters his freshman campaign as the oldest member of his top-notch recruiting class — turns 20 in December — and is arguably the most overlooked of the bunch. Also like Stanley, Brakefield was the one signee who basically came out of nowhere to suddenly commit to the Blue Devils.

Further Stanley-esque was Brakefield’s declining composite ranking as a high school prospect. Brakefield’s peak at No. 2 came as a sophomore with his low being his final No. 41 ranking; Stanley peaked at No. 9 as a junior and hit a low with his final No. 37 ranking.

Given the 6-foot-8 combo forward’s age and lofty early ranking, one can assume Brakefield has longtime aspirations of again mirroring Stanley by becoming a one-and-done. Problem is, as one of seven quality forwards on the roster and without the size to be a viable candidate at the five, Brakefield may have a tough time drawing Stanley-level minutes to advertise any NBA qualities.

Question is, of course, how will Brakefield respond if his playing time isn’t at all what he had hoped?