Pair of Duke basketball superstars ready to team up with hopes of playoffs

A pair of former Duke basketball standouts are ready to team up and reach the postseason with their new team.

The NBA offseason is off to a roaring start and two former Duke basketball superstars are teaming up to try and give new life to their careers.

Jahlil Okafor, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, inked a deal with the Detroit Pistons as he looks to revitalize his professional career after he was under-used in his two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Coming off a National Championship in Durham and a standout rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Okafor has bounced around the NBA as his minutes continue to drop primarily because of concerns surrounding his defense.

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Okafor’s deal is for two years with the Pistons.

However, he will now pair up with another National Champion and key role player in the NBA, Mason Plumlee, in Detroit.

Plumlee also agreed to a free-agent contract with the Pistons, for three years and worth $25 million.

The 30-year-old spent the last three and a half seasons in Denver, serving as a backup to Nikola Jokic and learning how to develop his game like the All-NBA center.

How smart is the plan to sign the former Duke basketball stars?

While Duke fans will love the idea of Okafor and Plumlee getting to team up in Detroit, the signings of the forwards, combined with the drafting of Washington center Isaiah Stewart, makes a crowded frontcourt with the Pistons.

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In addition, the Pistons also have Blake Griffin, although it has been rumored the franchise is trying to trade its star forward.

It’s still a long hill to climb for the Detroit Pistons, only making the playoffs three times since the 2007-08 season and not winning a playoff game since that ’07-08 campaign, but perhaps the former Blue Devils can bring back a winning pedigree to what was once a proud franchise.