Duke basketball 2015-16 player preview: Antonio Vrankovic

Antonio Vrankovic

  • Year: Freshman
  • Height: 7-feet
  • Position: Center

Game Breakdown: Vrankovic brings depth and size to a frontcourt that lost Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow to the NBA. A true center in high school, Vrankovic averaged 27.5 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks per game as senior at the Pine Crest School. The Delray Beach, Fla.,  native is a low-post player that will set screens for guards and help his teammates get open off ball. Vrankovic is an agile scorer who can create his own shot in the post and he will look to develop under Duke's coaching staff similar to the way Amile Jefferson has during his time in Durham. 

Role on the Team: Vrankovic will not see much court time this season with so much depth on the Blue Devils roster. Fellow freshman Chase Jeter will get rotation minutes behind Amile Jefferson and Rice transfer Sean Obi may also see spurts of action in the early going. Vrankovic will look to learn behind his more-experienced teammates and get some experience early on in the season for the Blue Devils. It remains to be seen whether the center will redshirt this season or not. 

NBA Comparison: At this point in his basketball career, Vrankovic is athletic enough to drive to the rim and dish to the perimeter, but he is limited by his lack of experience. Vrankovic will have to bank on his ability to set screens and grab rebounds to help the Blue Devils this season. Think of a player such as Robin Lopez, who is capable of crashing the boards on offense and setting up the players around him with passes out of the post. If Vrankovic is going to play any meaningful minutes this season, he will need to prepare well in spite of his limited role and develop for future seasons. 

Projected Stats: 0.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.4 BPG 

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