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

Question No. 7 for the 2020-21 Duke basketball team…

Will the weight gain from Matthew Hurt present some unintended consequences?

By all accounts and scrimmage highlights, it looks as if Matthew Hurt put in the necessary work during his months back home in Minnesota. He put on some 30 pounds and focused on his footwork, all the while putting up some 50,000 shots so as not to allow the added bulk to damage his reliable shooting stroke (as a freshman, he led all Blue Devils with 42 makes from deep).

Now, the stretch-four sophomore is a top candidate to lead Duke in scoring by capitalizing on his offseason enhancements, most notably his beefed-up paint presence. Throughout the available videos of the team’s closed practices and scrimmages thus far, there are clips of Hurt holding his own down low against a sturdy Patrick Tapé, chiseled Henry Coleman, or towering Mark Williams.

New strength, though, could magnify what is arguably Hurt’s No. 1 weakness: his speed and hops, or lack thereof. It’s worth pointing out, however, that there is no official evidence of the stretch-four having heavier feet than a year ago. Yet if true, not only would this be a serious concern in transition, but openings for his pick-and-pop 3-point attempts would also be harder to come by.