Duke Basketball: Toughest Matchup for Each Projected Starter

Everyone has a weakness, that one tragic flaw that can bring anyone down no matter how powerful they are. Superman had Kryptonite, Achilles had an unwashed heel and every UNC basketball player—other than Marcus Paige—has the inability to put the ball in the hoop from more than five feet away.

Duke’s basketball team will be loaded with talent this year, featuring nine former McDonald’s All-Americans (as many as Kentucky!). Duke’s roster features a beautiful mix of skill sets, but no player is without weakness. Sometimes in a team sport it is possible to hide a player's weakness with smart coaching.

Duke, however, plays a tough schedule, forcing each of its players to face off against an opponent who is well positioned to take advantage of a Blue Devil’s personal deficit. How each player is able to perform when facing a tough individual matchup will go a long way toward determining the success or failure of the team.

With so many great individual matchups looming for the upcoming season, I will be highlighting the toughest opponent for each of Duke’s projected starters. Since the starting five is still up in the air, for this article I’m assuming a three-guard starting lineup of Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon along with the likely starting front-court of Jahlil Okafor and Amile Jefferson.

Jahlil Okafor: Frank Kaminsky

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Frank Kaminsky will be a tough matchup for every team he faces this year, and he will be especially tough to handle for Duke’s top recruit and newly minted go-to player Okafor.

As a freshman, Okafor has very little experience guarding players his own size. He has been much bigger than almost all the opponents he faced in high school and in AAU games, and Kaminsky has the size to give Okafor problems.

Kaminsky is a 7-footer and has four years in a college weightlifting program under his belt. Kaminsky is also battle tested, as he has already gone through three seasons in the rough-and-tough Big Ten and last year led his team to the Final Four. Duke plays Wisconsin in just its seventh game of the year, so Okafor will still be very green when the two teams play.

In addition to his size and experience, Kaminsky boasts the perfect skill set to give Okafor fits. Kaminsky is a polished post scorer, but he’s also an able shooter and can put the ball on the floor and penetrate from the perimeter.

He shot 37 percent from deep last year, often finding himself wide open when his defenders were unable to run to the perimeter to check him. This could happen to Okafor, who certainly is not used to defending on the outside and will need to expend a lot of energy chasing Kaminsky.

The best way for Okafor to challenge Kaminsky is to take him to task on the offensive end. Kaminsky is big but weighs less than Okafor and could have trouble stopping Okafor in the paint. Okafor is unlikely to be able to stop Kaminsky, so getting him in foul trouble will be imperative in order for Duke to pick up the type of early-season marquee win it failed to get last year.

Amile Jefferson: Montrezl Harrell

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Jefferson is a feisty, gritty player who plays his heart out on every possession and uses his hustle and heart to succeed against players, despite being slender for his position.

Montrezl Harrell is a feisty, gritty player who plays his heart out on every possession and uses his hustle and heart to succeed against players who are all smaller than him because he is an absolute physical specimen.

Harrell averaged 14 points and 8.4 rebounds last year and turned down an opportunity to be a first-round NBA draft pick to terrorize the ACC in Louisville’s first season in the conference. Harrell outweighs Jefferson by 25 pounds and is a quick and powerful leaper in the paint when going after rebounds or slamming down dunks.

Jefferson is used to playing against larger players—having played center last year—but he is not used to going against players with both a size advantage and an equal blue-collar approach to the game.

Jefferson’s best chance against Harrell is to continue to play hard, regardless of how well his opponent is playing. Harrell also is not used to going against guys who can match his hustle, and Jefferson could frustrate and wear him down by competing every play and showing Harrell he is not just any other guy to face up against.

Rasheed Sulaimon: Branden Dawson

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If Sulaimon does indeed start and play a lot of minutes this season at the 3, he will face a lot of larger opponents. How often this happens mostly depends on how other Devils are playing.

Sulaimon will certainly be on the floor a lot, but if Justise Winslow and Semi Ojeleye emerge, he will play a lot at a guard spot. If Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook prove they can play well together, Sulaimon will see more time as Duke’s wing player.

When Sulaimon does play the 3, Branden Dawson is the player most likely to take advantage of his guard-like height and relative slenderness. Dawson is a bulldog on the court, and as a small forward he averaged 8.3 rebounds per game last year, a number just shy of Jabari Parker’s team-leading rebounds in 2013–14.

Dawson plays well on the inside on offense, having attempted only nine three-pointers during his entire career. He will be able to rebound over Sulaimon and will most likely try to take him on the post.

This is an extremely tough matchup for Sulaimon. Normal thinking would be that Sulaimon would be able to counter Dawson’s strength by taking him on the perimeter on offense, but Dawson is an excellent defender who often takes on opposing guards.

The best shot for Duke here is if Winslow and/or Ojeleye are in the rotation early enough that they can take on Dawson when the two teams meet. A three-guard lineup will give lots of teams trouble this season, but Dawson’s abilities make Michigan State one team capable of handling it.

Quinn Cook: Jerian Grant

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Cook has struggled at times defensively throughout his career. He is a small player, and his knack for gambling often leaves him in poor defensive position. Jerian Grant is the type of player who knows how to take advantage of gambling defenders.

Grant was suspended after just 12 games last season. Before his suspension, he was averaging 19 points and six assists per game on better than 50 percent shooting. Grant will be back this season and will be hungry to show what type of player he is after missing so much of last season.

Grant has great size for a guard at 6’ 5” and is a nifty penetrator with a variety of pull-ups and floaters in his arsenal. He is an average athlete, but he is great at using his size and moves to take advantage of defenders who get themselves out of position. If Cook gambles against Grant, he will pay for it, and Duke may not be able to avenge last season’s loss to Notre Dame.

The best way for Cook to contain Grant is to play more conservatively on defense. Cook has always been an enigma, but he is a team captain this year. As he grows into being a leader, Cook should become a more responsible player and a better example for his teammates. If he buys into the defensive system, he has a decent chance of having success against Grant.

Tyus Jones: Marcus Paige

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As a freshmen point guard for an elite program, Jones will face a lot of challenges this season. Getting the team organized on the court, being a leader off it and dealing with the national haze of hatred that follows Duke basketball will give Jones plenty to worry about this year.

To make matter worse, Duke’s two biggest games of the regular season will also feature a player who is sure to keep Jones’ hands full on the defensive end.

Playing in his first games of the greatest rivalry in the country will be tough enough, but Jones will also have to deal with defending Marcus Paige, one of the best returning players in the ACC. Paige is a deadly shooter coming off a first team all-conference selection and will be playing with an improved supporting cast.

Paige has the ultimate green light as UNC’s go-to scorer and has a knack for hitting walk-up threes in big moments. Jones will have to make sure he has the defense set up correctly in time to defend Paige from about 30 feet out in order to prevent those daggers. If Jones is rattled from the environment and his concentration falters, Paige could take advantage and have huge games against the Devils.

Jones is a natural leader, and in order to stop Paige he will have to trust that his teammates are in the right positions and focus solely on his personal task of shutting down the rival’s top player.