2015 March Madness Watch: 2 Duke Blue Devils to Consider for Magic
The Duke Blue Devils boast two players expected to be in the top-half of the lottery. Which is most realistic and logical?
Continuing our theme here at OMD of scouting March Madness, it is time to turn attention to the Duke Blue Devils, two in particular, who could offer the Orlando Magic some much needed talent in the lottery. It would add some options and flexibility to a roster almost certain to undergo at least a minor makeover this offseason. But the scouting begins now.
March 20, 9:40 PM EDT (Duke vs Robert Morris, TV: CBS)
The No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils boast two talents that could potentially aid the Orlando Magic in the 2015 NBA draft. The first of these is regarded as a No. 1 to No. 3 pick in Jahlil Okafor who has quickly established himself as a potential franchise player. Okafor’s impeccable footwork and soft touch will make him an instant threat in the post, and he is clearly a guy capable of drawing a lot of double and triple teams.
Like the aforementioned Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky, Okafor is a reach. The Magic will need a top-3 pick to obtain his services and the Magic are possessors of the 5th worst record in the Association. It will take some Lottery luck.
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Could Okafor change the Magic’s direction? For one, it would create a huge problem because teams would know that Nikola Vucevic was on the block. In theory, that drives a guy’s trade value down, but Vucevic has drawn enough rave reviews that the Magic could most certainly trade him for a player whose skip set would better complement Okafor’s play on the block. Vucevic has some trade restrictions on him because he just signed an extension, but his contract is affordable for his production.
Okafor is a one-and-done, and that has been suspected or even known since day one. Who could blame him with all the accolades and top-pick rumors surrounding him.
As a freshman, he is seeing 30 minutes a game and notching 17.7 points and nine rebounds per game. Okafor is not a major shot blocker, but he is a shot changer, and that is nearly as important, without regards to the lack of fast break initiation from that type of play. However, with Dewayne Dedmon emerging as a shot-blocking prodigy of sorts, the unorthdox fit of having a guy like Okafor could certainly pay off. It’s just not overly likely to happen.
Besides Okafor, the Blue Devils also have senior guard Quinn Cook, who is absolutely dead-eye and a volume 3-point shooter. He is just a hair worse than 40 percent on 3-point field goals and shoots a comfortable 89.1 percent from the line.
Duke has the weapons, and there is a good reason that the selection committee chose it as one of the top seeds, even though it may be the weakest No. 1 in the tournament.
No. 16-seeded Robert Morris really is not much of threat to speak of. The Colonials posted an 8-8 non-conference record and had just a .666 winning percentage in the Northeast Conference, not exactly a powerhouse league for a team to develop in. The Colonials played just one ranked opponent all season and lost horribly to North Carolina 103-59.
Expect Okafor to come out and set the tone for Duke while establishing a precedence for what he may due in this tournament.
The other major prospect for Duke is Justise Winslow, another projected lottery pick. Winslow is a 6-foot-6 swingman whose talents could make either Maurice Harkless or Tobias Harris entirely expendable, while coming at a much cheaper rate. He may also relegate Evan Fournier to the role of permanent bench spark.
With Tobias Harris expecting a big pay day, Winslow could be a great alternative, initially a second unit scorer, eventually a featured backcourt rotation player. With Evan Fournier’s erratic play, it only makes sense to inject (yet more) youth into the backcourt.
Winslow draws an NBADraft.net comparison to Wilson Chandler, which would not be a bad prize if he developed a similar game.
Tweeners can be very effective if their lateral footspeed, strength and shooting is there in an ultra rare form of polymath-type talents on the court.
Winslow is an elite athlete, but unlikely Harkless he finishes well off the dribble and off backdoor cuts. He defends equally as well and he is also better at igniting the break in transition.
Winslow is just a freshman but he has made his mark already with 39.6 percent 3-point shooting en route to 12.3 points per game on 48.2 percent field goal shooting. He is not especially good from the line for a true shooter, but a lot of that can be remedied fairly easily for a good shooter like Winslow.
It would make Magic fans cringe to think of a lineup featuring Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon and Dewayne Dedmon bringing another brick layer into the fold from the line, though. Winslow is a passable 61 percent, but given that he easily could up his free throw attempts in the NBA, it seems irrational to just leave those points on the line due to poor routine and mechanics. Free throw shooting is fortunately something a player can work on and improve in the NBA. It should not be a deal breaker.
It would seem strange to take another guard with the lottery pick, but if Magic GM Rob Hennigan falls in love with potential, the “Best player available” strategy may be in operation once again. After all, beyond adding a major talent in this draft, the future blueprint is very much open to revision.