The Duke basketball roster sparks ideas for intriguing lineup combinations.
Only 10 scholarship Duke basketball players are on tap for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
There are four freshmen in point guard Jaylen Blakes, shooting guard Trevor Keels, small forward AJ Griffin, and power forward Paolo Banchero. Then the two sophomores are point guard Jeremy Roach and center Mark Williams.
Throw in the lone junior, small forward Wendell Moore, and one returning senior in small forward Joey Baker. Finally, two graduate transfers are in the mix: Bates Jones out of Davidson and Theo John via Marquette.
Aside from the free-ride Blue Devils, who could each enjoy a regular role, the roster includes three walk-ons: Keenan Worthington, Michael Savarino, and Spencer Hubbard.
That’s it. For now, anyway.
Still, as a unit, the 13 players give off plenty of versatility vibes. So on that note, let’s concoct three outside-the-box lineups here, one at a time, each of which might look a bit nuts on paper but could shine for stretches due to some inherent power that is visible throughout its makeup…
Crazy Duke basketball lineup: Giants
- PG: Wendell Moore
- SG: AJ Griffin
- SF: Paolo Banchero
- PF: Theo John
- C: Mark Williams
The smallest member of this proposed lineup is the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Wendell Moore, a wing by trade. Then there’s the 6-foot-6, 220-pound chiseled freshman AJ Griffin, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound grad-transfer stone Theo John, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound gargantuan freshman Paolo Banchero, and the 7-foot, 240-pound skyscraper sophomore Mark Williams.
Average height: 6-foot-8 and some change. Average weight: roughly 235 pounds.
Long. Strong. All-around massive and crazy scary.
True, the one-spot could be a bit shaky. Despite showing potential in the backcourt, Moore proved turnover-prone in his first two years with the Blue Devils.
Fortunately, in natural forwards Griffin and Banchero, this collection includes two more adept ballhandlers who could help him run the show. Yes, various mixtapes suggest that either of them could routinely take on a “point forward” role next season.
Need rebounds, putbacks, and blocked shots galore? Well, this imposing fivesome should solve that — and then some.
Crazy Duke basketball lineup: Snipers
- PG: Jeremy Roach
- SG: Trevor Keels
- SF: Joey Baker
- PF: AJ Griffin
- C: Paolo Banchero
All in all, the 3-ball hasn’t been too kind to Duke basketball squads across the past few seasons. But with all five of these anticipated smooth outside shooters in the same lineup next go-round, chances are at least one of the fellas would be finding paydirt from downtown at any given moment.
Five-star freshmen Trevor Keels, AJ Griffin, and Paolo Banchero arrive with a refined deep stroke in their bag of tricks.
Meanwhile, senior Joey Baker has resided in splash town before, most notably as a sophomore with his 28-for-71 clip beyond the arc (39.4 percent). And while Jeremy Roach shot only 31.3 percent from long range as a Blue Devil rookie, his 3-launcher heated up down the stretch, to the tune of 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) between the team’s final seven contests.
Adding to this lineup’s strength, as alluded to in the previous “crazy” combination here, both Banchero and Griffin can hold their own in handling the rock and leading a fastbreak. And don’t forget the two pure guards in Roach and Keels, not to mention some possible long-awaited improvements in Baker’s handles.
Altogether, this cast could keep opponents on their heels by frequently rotating the primary ballhandler in a halfcourt setting and constantly looking to explode in transition. It’d make for one run-and-gun sequence after another and likely one electrifying show to delight Cameron Crazies.
Crazy Duke basketball lineup: Newcomers
- PG: Jaylen Blakes
- SG: Trevor Keels
- SF: AJ Griffin
- PF: Paolo Banchero
- C: Theo John
It’s understandable if many Duke basketball fans hope to see at least one 2021-22 lineup that doesn’t feature a single member from last season’s 13-11 squad. After all, as if anyone needs a reminder, the 2020-21 bunch became the program’s first in 26 years not to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Thankfully, new Blue Devils are now in ample supply. Besides, all five of the above talents should be among the nine best on the roster. And anywhere from two to four of them ought to be starters.
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Three are five-star freshmen: Trevor Keels, Paolo Banchero, and AJ Griffin. A fourth rookie, point guard Jaylen Blakes, appears to be an underrated four-star prospect.
And the five-spot here belongs to a fifth-year college player in former three-year Marquette starter Theo John, who will be 23 years old by the time Duke tips off its schedule on Nov. 9 with a Champions Classic battle against Kentucky in Madison Square Garden.
Therefore, among the three proposed “crazy” lineups in this article, this last one comes across as the most realistic. Additionally, consider that all five pieces pretty much fit with their listed positions.
Simply put, this quintet is likely to naturally appear anyway from time to time, regardless of whether Mike Krzyzewski has a returnee-free strategy in mind.
Yet maybe Coach K will consciously satisfy this particular hunger for fresh faces. Perhaps the legend will intentionally roll out the group with zero guys to blame for snapping his personal Big Dance streak, which had dated back to 1984 (he sat out all but the first 12 games of the dismal 1994-95 Duke basketball campaign).