Point: Duke women’s basketball will suffer this year due to a lack of depth

The depth of a team is a key factor in determining its success: More players means more flexibility and more options for a coach. Unfortunately for Duke, there is no luxury of depth this season. There are just 11 players listed on the Blue Devils’ roster, and with senior guard Vanessa de Jesus out for the season, a full half of the team will be on the court each time Duke plays. 

With just 10 active players, the Blue Devils don’t have much choice when it comes to a lineup. This team is loaded with six guards, leaving two forwards, one center and a stretch four in graduate transfer Camilla Emsbo. Duke will have to lend itself toward playing more “small ball,” something that could hurt the defensive aims and focus the program has had in the past. Last year, for example, the Blue Devils held opponents to just 51 points per game, the second-lowest average in the nation.

Duke’s defensive power takes a blow, however, with the outbound transfer of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Celeste Taylor, who led last year’s team in steals at 2.2 per game. Taylor was one of 11 departures from the team, meaning Duke has some serious holes to fill if it wants to build off last year’s momentum. Additionally, several late transfers away from Cameron Indoor Stadium left Kara Lawson’s coaching staff unprepared to go to the transfer portal, resulting in just two pickups for this year. Emsbo and sophomore guard Taina Mair will be incredibly valuable additions, don’t get me wrong, but their value might not replace the losses from last year.

A key element of depth is the potential to build chemistry, since more players means the ability to determine a good lineup combination and have players come off the bench. Without having this option, the Blue Devils may have to lock into a set main lineup and stick with it throughout the season. So what happens if it fails? Being unable to alter its lineup significantly could hurt Duke if things go wrong and chemistry becomes an issue. Having cohesion will be imperative to the success of this team, and while it is easier to blend a smaller group, slight cracks in the blend will lead to deep cuts in relationships across the team and the culture as a whole.

Take a look at the men’s team, for example, with 15 players on its roster. Having a wide distribution of players, positions and grades is to the team’s advantage. Older guys help young guys, a depth chart is formed that creates organization and more bodies can be rotated in to help everyone grow. For the women’s team, on the other hand, there will be more demand for each player to step up, play more and establish chemistry with everyone else on the roster. It can be done, but if it isn’t, it may not be such a long season for the Blue Devils.

Coach Lawson will be forced to use all 10 of her players this season, so there will be very little room for error on her part and on the part of her team. With such a small pool of players to pick from, the pressure will be on from all fronts to ensure success for this team. It can clearly be done: South Carolina has 11 players on its roster, Virginia Tech has 12. LSU won the national championship last year with 12 players, playing eight in the championship game. But these are elite programs, where roster spots are coveted, not fled from, and perfect combinations have time to develop. Quality over quantity holds true, but on a Duke team that is limited in power, a lack of quantity can only restrain the team more.

Last year, the Blue Devils wanted to contend for a national championship, and they made serious strides. But things are different now. This has to be more of a rebuilding year for the team, a stepping stone for the future. The recent addition of 2024 four-star forward Jenessa Cotton, along with the previous commitment of five-star Toby Fournier shows the program is trending up, but it has to take a slight step back this year for that to happen. With her current player shortage, Lawson has to put her hopes of winning big and building The Sisterhood on hold. They say the more the merrier, and without that “more,” it looks like Duke’s season may not be so merry.