Duke basketball’s lethal defensive lineup: Theo John at power forward
Simply put, Theo John is a bruiser. A muscleman. A hard-nosed defensive enforcer. A dirty-work specialist on both ends of the floor.
Furthermore, after serving as a full-time starter in three of his four solid seasons at Marquette, the 22-year-old graduate transfer will now be a 23-year-old by the time next season begins. So John would certainly provide this proposed lockdown lineup with loads of experience down low, thereby helping to return the all-important “D” to “Duke basketball.”
And the 6-foot-9, 255-pounder from Minnesota would be able to do so at his natural position: power forward.
Granted, John is prone to foul trouble — to say the least. While averaging 3.2 blocks per 40 minutes for his career as a Golden Eagle, he also averaged 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes across those years. But he did show marked improvement in this regard from one year to the next; as a senior, his fouls-per-40 dropped to 4.3, which is pretty much on par with most players at his position.
Even if he racks up fouls at a dangerous rate as a Blue Devil, though, just imagine how formidable John’s gargantuan presence could be for brief stints alongside Paolo Banchero and this next big man here…