Where current Duke basketball players rank among nation’s best

Are experts underrating or overrating the forecasted Duke basketball stars?

It’s fair to say sophomore small forward Wendell Moore, sophomore stretch-four Matthew Hurt, and freshman combo forward Jalen Johnson are the only three players on the 2020-21 Duke basketball roster who have proven worthy to be among the current “best players at playing college basketball” that CBS Sports put out this week.

OK, so some might say Duke’s national ranking of No. 9 in the initial AP Top 25 is proof that one or two more Blue Devils should have made the top 101, which experts Matt Norlander, Gary Parrish, Kyle Boone, and David Cobb collectively decided upon, ranked, and analyzed.

Yes, senior combo guard Jordan Goldwire is a proven menace on defense; that said, his skill set on offense has been lacking thus far in his Duke basketball career. Sure, junior wing Joey Baker is a proven marksman from beyond the arc, to the tune of 39.7 percent as a Blue Devil; however, his footwork and instincts, particularly on the defensive end, have left much to be desired.

ALSO READ: 20 serious concerns about the 2020-21 Blue Devils

Granted, three rookies in Durham other than Johnson were five-star recruits: point guard Jeremy Roach, combo guard DJ Steward, and center Mark Williams. Yet all three were on the lower end of the five-star scale. And though any of the three could blossom into potent forces in their respective roles, none come with the “instant stud” or “certain one-and-done” tag.

Now, one could try to argue that Hurt, Johnson, and Moore should rank a smidge higher than No. 22, No. 47, and No. 89, respectively.

On the other hand, combining the fact that neither Hurt nor Moore averaged double-figure points as freshmen last season with the fact that Johnson’s ranking on the 247Sports 2020 Composite plummeted from No. 4 to No. 13 across his senior year of high school, one could just as easily argue that Norlander, Parrish, Boone, and Cobb are a bit too high on all three Blue Devils.

The experts’ praise for their three Duke basketball selections

Here’s what Norlander wrote to justify Hurt’s placement as tops among Blue Devils:

“[Hurt] has redefined his body and tweaked his role, making a huge second-season jump for Mike Krzyzewski’s team. Probably won’t be good enough or big enough in the stats department to win ACC Player of the Year, but seems like he’ll be Duke’s key player on a particularly young team.”

And here’s what Boone noted about Johnson:

“As is frequently the case at Duke — and is the case again this season — the Blue Devils are replacing a ton of outgoing NBA talents. But in Johnson, Coach K has once again stocked the cupboard. Johnson is a former five-star recruit who has a 6-8 frame the size of a power forward but carries the skill and feel of a guard. His versatility is going to unlock Duke’s offense.”

Finally, Parrish provided a brief rundown on Moore:

“The five-star prospect in the Class of 2019 averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting 11 games for the Blue Devils last season.”

To no surprise, No. 1 on the list is Iowa senior big man Luka Garza. Also not shocking is that Duke’s total of three representatives tied both North Carolina (Garrison Brooks at No. 11, Caleb Love at No. 94, Armando Bacot at No. 96) and Virginia (Sam Hauser at No. 12,  Kihei Clark at No. 49, Jay Huff at No. 78) for the most from an ACC program.

Krzyzewski’s 41st Duke basketball season will begin at home against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 25.

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