Amile Jefferson: Assessing Impact Top Recruit Will Have on Duke Basketball

Amile Jefferson has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Duke, giving the Blue Devils one of the top incoming freshman in the country.

Duke is getting exactly what they need in Jefferson—a power forward with well-polished skills that should be ready to play right out of the gate. 

Judging from his senior year stats in high school (19.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.7 SPG), Jefferson is going to be a force to be reckoned with at the next level. 

In addition to giving Duke a tough post player who can score and grab rebounds around the basket, Jefferson will give the Blue Devils a shot blocker in the paint. 

He is going to have some competition for a starting job with Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly returning, but he is more than capable of playing alongside these frontcourt stars at small forward, or taking one of their jobs outright. 

Plumlee and Kelly are both athletic guys, but I give the edge in athleticism to Jefferson. Their skills are definitely close, but Jefferson may be the best forward the Blue Devils currently have on their roster. 

If and when he earns a starting job, Jefferson is going to match up well with other big men in the ACC. He has the skills and speed to outwork opposing big men, which will definitely be an advantage. Although he is lean and may get banged around by stronger forwards, his long arms and shot-blocking ability will counter bulky opponents.

He certainly has the potential to average double digits in points and rebounds, even as a freshman.

With Jefferson's help, Duke's chances of winning the ACC tournament have gone up, along with their chances at advancing past the early rounds in the NCAA tournament.

Assuming Jefferson stays at least three years, I would be surprised if the Blue Devils do not go to a national championship game. They have the team to do it, and this addition definitely gives them a boost.