A year ago in a 113-44 rout of Presbyterian, the Blue Devils relied heavily on their No. 1 recruiting class to kick off its championship run. The highly touted group of Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen each reached double-digits, combining for 67 total points.
This year, No. 5 Duke’s top-ranked rookie class got off to a much slower start.
The Blue Devils sent Siena packing after a 92-74 blowout win at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but their lauded group of freshmen combined for just 32 points on 10-for-35 shooting in a game that had closer moments than the final score indicated.
“We’ve got some things to work on. We’re a very young team, but we can’t play young,” freshman guard Luke Kennard said. “I can play so much better than that. We’re a young team. I think we need to put that behind us. We need to start playing together as one, big, older team. We can’t play young anymore. I think once we do that, we’ll be a successful team.”
With just one game under their belt, the Duke freshmen have a long way to go to achieve the same success on the hardwood as last year’s group. In the opening contest last season, it appeared that the eventual national champions had already meshed with one another beyond their time together.
Against Presbyterian, the 2014-15 Blue Devil squad dished out 30 assists, half of which came from the group of rookies. This season, the chemistry did not seem to be entirely there against the Saints. As a squad, Duke only registered nine assists, and the freshmen only accounted for three—including just two from No. 3 point guard Derryck Thornton, who did not join the team until August after reclassifying this past April.
Along with the chemistry, the Blue Devil youth are going to have to learn to deal with a different level of physical maturity at the college level, something last year’s freshmen were already built for.
“That’s the biggest thing our young guys have to get accustomed to—they’re going to play against people who are going to be more physically mature than them. That’s the difference between our freshmen last year and this year,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Winslow and Okafor were 25 years old maturity-wise, physically, and Winslow was probably that mentally too…. I’ve told you that our freshman class is different. They’re freshmen."
Although the freshmen faced a steeper learning curve in their opener, Duke relied on familiar faces to spark the victory Friday. Captains Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones—who were both recovering from injuries sustained in exhibition games—were steady in the opener.
Jefferson tied his career-high with 19 points and added 12 rebounds, and Jones provided his usual, gritty energy with an additional 10 points. Graduate student and captain Marshall Plumlee added just four points, but his tenacity to rip down nine rebounds and swat away two shots—one of which prevented a Siena dunk—set a high bar for the inexperienced Blue Devils to look up to.
“Our leaders are great. They bring energy. We’ve just got to piggyback off of that,” Kennard said. “Whenever we get in the game, we’ve just got to play 100 percent. We can’t let back."
Despite the inconsistent play, the freshmen are just that—freshmen. But with their upcoming schedule, they do not have much time to work out the kinks before facing NCAA tournament-caliber competition.
After a quick turnaround Saturday against Bryant at home, Duke will face off against No. 2 Kentucky Tuesday. If the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class shoots 3-for-16 from beyond the arc and fails to dish out the ball more effectively, they could receive a rude awakening in Chicago.
Redshirt sophomore Sean Obi—who had a front-row seat to the dominance of Okafor and company last season while sitting on the bench due to NCAA transfer rules—sees his young teammates making strides in the near future.
“[The freshmen] guys have confidence," Obi said. “They’re 17, 18—they’re still kids, so every day is a process, but we’ve got to pick it up every day. There’s no time. The season is already here. We need every single person and I believe in them.”
Although Brandon Ingram, Chase Jeter, Kennard and Thornton may not have looked like Okafor, Jones, Winslow and Allen from their debut a year ago, the new Blue Devils still pose a serious threat to any opposing coach’s game plan this season, even though last year's daunting group has moved on to the NBA.
“If you think I wanted Okafor and those guys in there, that answer was no,” Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos said. “I was glad those three were gone—I can adjust to the film without those three.”
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