Duke Basketball: Will Rebounding Be a Problem Again for Blue Devils in 2014-15?

Remember Duke’s rebounding woes from a season ago?

They seem like a distant memory through the first two contests of the 2014-15 season. Duke manhandled Presbyterian 113-44 in the opener and followed that up with a dominating 109-59 win over Fairfield.

In that Presbyterian game, Duke held a 46-21 rebounding advantage and grabbed 17 offensive boards. In fact, almost everyone got involved on the glass.

Amile Jefferson led the way with 10, including six offensive rebounds, Jahlil Okafor added six, Marshall Plumlee came off the bench with seven in only 17 minutes of action and even Quinn Cook and Semi Ojeleye tallied five each.

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In the second game, Duke finished with a 39-20 rebounding advantage over Fairfield and added 12 offensive rebounds. Okafor and Jefferson finished with nine apiece, Justise Winslow grabbed six and Matt Jones ended up with five off the bench.

Presbyterian coach Gregg Nibert put it rather simply when it came to Duke, according to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com: “They’ll be scary in March.”

Of course, you cannot put too much stock in games against Presbyterian and Fairfield. The competition is going to get much stiffer right away when the Blue Devils are forced to deal with Michigan State on Tuesday, which is a team known for its physicality and strength on the boards.

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After that, the opposition will certainly ramp up against the daunting and deep ACC.

The reason Duke fans should at least be a little excited about the early rebounding efforts is because of last season’s struggles. The Blue Devils averaged 34.5 rebounds a game in 2013-14 and were tied for 187th in the nation. In fact, they were tied with powerhouses such as Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut State in total rebounds a game.

That lack of rebounding was a major reason why the team that boasted the No. 2-ranked offense in Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted offensive efficiency ratings still found a way to lose in the round of 64 to Mercer and also fell short of an ACC Championship.

It was bad enough that the defense struggled all season to keep ball-handlers from attacking the basket, but the inability to secure rebounds exacerbated the issues on that end of the floor. The easy second-chance points were absolutely crippling all season.

However, Mike Krzyzewski has the personnel this season to immediately fix those rebounding concerns.

The freshmen infusion with Okafor and Winslow will provide the biggest boost on the boards, but Jefferson’s continued development will certainly help as well.

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Okafor is one of the strongest and most physically imposing players in the entire country at 6'11" and 265 pounds, and his brute strength will let him carve out space and clean up on the glass. What’s more, having a lengthy and athletic forward like Winslow who can help the big guys out on the boards is a luxury most of Duke’s opponents won’t be able to counter.

As for Jefferson, he really came on in the second half of the 2013-14 campaign and should be even better this year with more experience under his belt. We have already seen it in the early going, as he has been one of the Blue Devils’ best weapons on the boards in the opening two games.

Elsewhere, Plumlee should also contribute on the glass, but the athleticism and length of some of the secondary pieces is what really jumps out about the Blue Devils. Ojeleye, Grayson Allen and Jones are all capable of getting involved in the rebounding department off the bench as well. 

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Motivation shouldn’t be a problem either this year if this anecdote from Laura Keeley of The (Raleigh) News & Observer is any indication:

Krzyzewski is a legend for a reason and understands just how important improvement on the boards will be if the Blue Devils want to accomplish all of their 2014-15 goals.

Ultimately, the dominance on the boards in the first two games against lesser competition is not why Duke fans should be so optimistic about the rebounding this season. The personnel and depth are in place for the Blue Devils to go eight to 10 deep with fresh legs and athletes with length like Jefferson, Winslow and Okafor.

That means Duke’s 2013-14 rebounding woes will quickly turn into an advantage in 2014-15.

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That will need to be the case right away, because the Blue Devils take on Michigan State in a critical early season game on Tuesday.

Tom Izzo's squad doesn't have the personnel that it did a season ago down low, especially without Adreian Payne, but the Spartans are always known for their physical brand of basketball. They will test the Blue Devils down low early and often and try to outmuscle Okafor down low.

That is much easier said than done.