Duke basketball: Three pressing questions

Expectations are high for the 2013-14 Duke men's basketball squad following an Elite 8 exit from the NCAA Tournament last season. Here are three questions for the team moving forward:

1) Will Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker mesh well together?

The big story heading into the year surrounds two additions to the squad—highly-touted freshman forward Jabari Parker and redshirt sophomore forward Rodney Hood. At Countdown to Craziness, both had strong performances when playing on opposite teams in the scrimmage. However, when the pair teamed up for the second half of the scrimmage, Hood managed merely two shots compared to eight in the first half. Parker, who displayed an array of skills on both ends of the floor, seemed to take control of the game. Both forwards are expected to start and play significant minutes together in the Blue Devils new gameplan. If Parker-Hood is not a match made in heaven, then Duke will have some serious issues offensively in 2013-14.

2) Who will step up inside the paint?

With the graduation of Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly came much uncertainty for Duke under the basket. Without a clear "center" this season, the Blue Devils appear ready to play the position by committee. Someone will inevitably have more time on the court so the big question is, who? Sophomore forward Amile Jefferson, after a summer in which he gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle, looks poised to show he's the guy for Duke this year. During Countdown to Craziness, Jefferson was active on both ends of the floor and displayed a few well-groomed post moves on offense. Even with the additional muscle, Jefferson may not have the size to match up with some of the top centers in the country. Senior Josh Hairston and redshirt sophomore Marshall Plumlee are the big men off the bench who will be tasked with providing quality defense and rebounding in relief of Jefferson. Plumlee has been looking to take a significant step forward much like Mason Plumlee did as an underclassmen. Marshall Plumlee still has much to prove and often looks a bit unrefined in the post, which likely hindered his chance at earning a starting spot. He could surprise people and find a crucial niche on this team before the season is out. Questions remain as to what Hairston can contribute on the court. He has been an inconsistent player in the post, but defensively has shown a nice knack for drawing charges throughout his Duke career. The biggest thing hampering Hairston is his propensity for getting into foul trouble, which may limit his minutes.

3) Who will play in the backcourt?

Duke has a plethora of guards to choose from who have experience and skill. Junior Quinn Cook was given the nod as a probable starter by head coach Mike Krzyzewski, but it seems as if four players are still in the mix for the starting shooting guard role—freshman Matt Jones, sophomore Rasheed Sulaimon, senior Tyler Thornton, and graduate student Andre Dawkins. Thornton was disappointing at Countdown to Craziness, committing six first-half turnovers and looking rattled when up against Cook's aggressive defense. Sulaimon's big question this season is whether he will take the step forward and be the difference-maker many people expect him to be. He has shown some flashes of potential—notably last season's NCAA Tournament game against Creighton—, but has yet to be a consistent enough player to guarantee the starting nod. Dawkins' and Jones' roles are also undetermined, with Dawkins returning from a year-long hiatus from Duke basketball and Jones beginning his career with the Blue Devils. Both players also have had significant hype coming into the season. Dawkins ran with the presumptive starters during the second half of the Countdown scrimmage and Jones has drawn rave reviews for his unexpected defensive play. With all these players in the mix for minutes at the guard positions, Duke needs to find an answer as to who earns the playing time at the guard spots and which capable player spends the majority of the game riding the pine.