Duke basketball: Coach K ignoring two players too often
By Matt Giles
Two Duke basketball freshmen both need and deserve a boost in playing time.
A permanent turnaround for this Duke basketball team requires more than one quick fix. Besides, coming off Saturday’s 91-87 home loss to UNC (12-6, 7-4 ACC), it’s quickly feeling a tad too late to salvage any serious March Madness hopes anyway.
Nope, chances are these Blue Devils (7-7, 5-5 ACC) will be watching from the couch.
But Duke’s eight remaining scheduled games, beginning in Durham at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against Notre Dame (7-10, 4-7 ACC), will offer invaluable experience. With that in mind, the Blue Devils must view this stretch as a chance to 1) set their sights on an ACC Tournament run, 2) grow their individual talents, and 3) build their chemistry for what should be a sunnier 2021-22 season.
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And as harsh as it sounds, now that this season is on the verge of becoming a lost cause, common sense says the focus should be on the program’s future. This ought to translate into extended trips to the bench for anyone who is intent on bolting to the pro ranks as soon as the current campaign concludes.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a pair of Duke basketball rookies who sure seem like multi-year pieces and also could surely help the squad right now by seeing more playing time from head coach Mike Krzyzewski. We’ll begin with the roster’s underutilized muscleman…