The best Duke basketball starting lineup without Jalen Johnson
By Matt Giles
The ideal Duke basketball starter at the two for now: Jordan Goldwire
As has been the case throughout the Duke basketball career of Jordan Goldwire, the senior has not proven this season to be a consistent threat on offense. Despite drawing three starting nods to date and never playing less than 24 minutes in any contest, he has scored in double figures only once: a mere 10-point outing in the loss to Michigan State.
Plus, Goldwire, who is now 9-for-25 from the field across his fourth campaign in Durham, has contributed only 15 total assists for the year while being responsible for nine turnovers.
On the other hand, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound combo guard hasn’t lost a step on defense. In fact, Goldwire is off to his hottest start in the steals department and appears to be taking his pickpocketing prowess to new heights each time out (after grabbing two steals in each of the first two games, he tallied three in the win over Bellarmine and then four in the loss to Illinois).
And as the only senior seeing regular playing time for such a freshman-laden, baby-faced squad, it’s clear that Goldwire is needed in the starting lineup, even if only for leadership purposes.