Duke basketball: 3 Blue Devils who must drastically improve
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball success next season could depend on three individual gains.
Over the years, the Duke basketball program has seen its fair share of talents make giant leaps. Guys like Nolan Smith, Ryan Kelly, and Quinn Cook immediately come to mind from the past dozen campaigns.
Two of those weapons, Smith and Cook, significantly added to their artillery just in time as upperclassmen, helping anchor the most recent Blue Devil championship runs in 2010 and 2015, respectively.
Now, looking ahead to the 2021-22 quest, which will be Mike Krzyzewski’s 42nd and last in Durham before Jon Scheyer becomes head coach, three fellas stand out for needing breakthroughs. Otherwise, Duke is unlikely to cut down nets on April 4 in New Orleans — plain and simple.
So let’s list the three, one at a time, paying close attention to the areas they most need to improve for the team to maximize its potential: