The best Duke basketball starting lineup without Jalen Johnson

The ideal Duke basketball starter at the four for now: Matthew Hurt

Hands down, Matthew Hurt has been the most potent force for the Blue Devils. After bulking up by 20 pounds or so in the offseason while also improving upon his conditioning, footwork, and mentality, the sophomore stretch-four is averaging 19.0 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 53.8 percent from the field, including 40.9 percent from deep.

All those numbers are signs of definite upgrades from Hurt’s so-so freshman campaign (when he averaged only 9.7 points and 3.8 boards despite starting more than half the games for the 2019-20 Duke team).

Simply put, there’s no reason to place much blame on Hurt for the fairly sour start to the 2020-21 Duke basketball season, even though his shooting hand has been relatively cold against the only two power-conference opponents. Rather, if not for the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Minnesota product, the Blue Devils might have ended up with another L against Coppin State, Bellarmine, or both.

Yes, in Johnson’s absence, Hurt should now become the only fella on the roster who has started every game. And barring some unforeseen setback in his game, he ought to hold that title the rest of the way.