Duke Basketball: Final Grades for the Blue Devils' 2014-15 Season

Duke claimed its fifth national championship—its first since 2010—after knocking off Wisconsin, 68-63, in Monday's title game in Indianapolis.

The Blue Devils ended with a 35-4 record, their best mark since 2001, but unlike past championship teams, this one was heavily dependent on first-year players.

Sixty of Duke's 68 points on Monday were from its four freshmen, including a little-used reserve who came up with a huge performance in the biggest game of his career.

It wasn't a perfect season, like what Kentucky was going for, or close to it. But when it ends with a title, it's hard to find fault with the overall performance.

Still, we have graded out all of the other top teams in Division I when their seasons have ended, and now it's Duke's turn.

Click through to see what grades we assigned to all eight main players, coach Mike Krzyzewski and the team as a whole.

Grayson Allen

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Year: Freshman

Position: Guard

Final stats: 4.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 42.5% FG, 34.6% 3PT, 84.9% FT 

The forgotten member of Duke's top-rated recruiting class, Grayson Allen's opportunities to contribute this season were very limited. When given an opportunity to play more than a token few minutes, however, Allen often shined.

The 6'4" Allen only logged double-digit minutes in 14 games, and he wasn't used four times. He was stuck at a position where senior Quinn Cook rarely left the court, and if Cook did, his role was often filled by sophomore Matt Jones.

Allen's best performances came when he was able to be a part of an uptempo attack, either in transition due to his great athleticism or with a three-point stroke that showed up from time to time.

With a greater role expected next season, performances like when he scored 16 points in 21 minutes in Monday's title game could become the norm rather than the exception.

Final grade: B

Quinn Cook

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Year: Senior

Position: Guard

Final stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 45.3% FG, 39.5% 3PT, 89.1% FT

While it will be Quinn Cook's big rise in production—he averaged 11 points in each of his previous two seasons—that many people will point to, those extra baskets were only a fraction of how much he meant to Duke's run this season.

If not for his leadership and experience as the Blue Devils' lone senior contributor, it very well could have been another early exit for this young team.

"And that leadership, that ownership of the program, has made Duke better," CollegeBasketballTalk's Rob Dauster wrote before the Final Four. "Think about the tone that sets for the rest of the roster. Cook was willing to make major personal sacrifices for the betterment of his team."

Cook was Duke's point guard last year, but he was shifted to the 2 because of freshman Tyus Jones. This enabled Cook to continue to be a scorer and shooter, but in a role that didn't also require him to run the offense. This freed him up to tap into his best attributes.

It also enabled him to serve as an on-court role model for Jones and Duke's other freshman stars, which is where he proved to be most valuable.

Final grade: A-

Amile Jefferson

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Year: Junior

Position: Forward

Final stats: 6.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 63.1% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 55.4% FT 

Amile Jefferson's best contribution to Duke this year was having no problem taking a reduced role midway through the season, as his move from a starter to reserve helped trigger the Blue Devils' second-half run.

Despite fewer minutes and lower production from last season, the 6'9" Jefferson actually proved to become more valuable.

Jefferson's role changed into one of a so-called glue guy, a player who could spell either Justise Winslow (when he was shifted to the 4) or allow Duke to go bigger with three frontcourt players. Whatever was asked of him, Jefferson complied and never showed any discontent. 

Final grade: B

Matt Jones

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Year: Sophomore

Position: Guard

Final stats: 6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 41.0% FG, 37.6% 3PT, 71.4% FT

Matt Jones saw his role with Duke get a major bump in importance this season, actually increasing twice in the same year after he was inserted into the starting lineup to make better use of Justise Winslow and make the Blue Devils more athletic on the court.

Even as their sixth man, though, Jones played key minutes without having to score much to make an impact.

The 6'5" Jones started every game from Feb. 21 on, recording double figures on three occasions, including a key 16-point performance in the Elite Eight against Gonzaga thanks to four three-pointers. He didn't need to score to be involved, though, but having that added value at times was a huge boost.

His three-point shooting popped up occasionally in big spots, but not enough to make him a viable threat all season. He'll need to continue to become more confident tapping into his three-point stroke in the future.

Final grade: B

Tyus Jones

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Year: Freshman

Position: Guard

Final stats: 11.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 41.7% FG, 37.9% 3PT, 88.9% FT 

Having a freshman as a floor leader is a dangerous proposition, especially on a team with such high expectations, but Tyus Jones rarely played like someone in his first year of college.

Of all Duke's youngsters, he was the most consistent and composed of the group, as well as the one who managed to come through in the clutch most often.

We saw this over and over again, which is why it wasn't surprising that Jones had such a monster second half in the national title game. He scored 19 of his 23 points in the final 20 minutes on Monday, turning it over one time in the game and keeping the ball in his hands down the stretch.

This could have been a bout of hero ball, but instead Krzyzewski entrusted him with control down the stretch.

Jones had a number of high-scoring games, including two against Wisconsin, but he was also Duke's best passer and the one who found openings for the rest of the team to score from.

Final grade: A-

Jahlil Okafor

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Year: Freshman

Position: Center

Final stats: 17.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 66.4% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 51.0% FT 

Duke's best big man in years came into college with high expectations, and he more than met those. A powerful post player with NBA-ready moves, Jahlil Okafor was frequently leaps and bounds ahead of the opponents he matched up with en route to being the Blue Devils' leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker.

Unlike many players of his size, Okafor didn't show much interest in being anything more than a post player. He didn't try to show off an outside touch—he didn't shoot one three-pointer—and he didn't try to be flashy with dunks and fake-outs. He instead relied on old-school play that has made him so coveted by pro scouts.

Okafor still has things to work on, namely not being a liability in late-game situations when free throws will come into play, but he's as polished a player at his size that we've seen in college in a long time.

Only sometimes when his conditioning seemed to let him down and tire him out did he look unprepared for the next step, but those moments were few and far between.

Final grade: A

Marshall Plumlee

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Year: Junior

Position: Center

Final stats: 2.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 76.2% FG, 100.0% 3PT, 71.0% FT

The last of the Plumlee brothers to play for Duke (after Miles and Mason), Marshall Plumlee didn't have the same talent and ability as his older siblings, but he didn't show any less drive.

This drive showed up whenever he had a chance to play, which wasn't much this season because of the presence of freshman center Jahlil Okafor.

Plumlee more than made the most of his chances, however, posting an astoundingly good shooting percentage and picking up key rebounds and blocks while spelling Okafor.

Plumlee's finest performance came in Duke's second-round win over Robert Morris, when he had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards in 19 minutes.

His defense was fair with flashes of above-average play, but Plumlee was in there to keep opponents honest when thinking they could exploit Okafor's absence.

Final grade: B

Justise Winslow

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Year: Freshman

Position: Forward

Final stats: 12.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 48.6% FG, 41.8% 3PT, 64.1% FT

Justise Winslow grew more in his one season than any other Duke player did this past year, learning how to harness his many skills into a package that made him nearly unstoppable in the final weeks of 2014-15.

With the size to play inside but the athleticism to create away from the basket, Winslow was a matchup nightmare who become even more so when he moved from the 3 to the 4 in February.

Winslow was Duke's best defensive player, using his intensity and fire to create havoc on that end and convert it into easy points going the other way. Sometimes that emotion would get the best of him, though, which led to times when he would play out of control and lack the composure needed to be counted on.

But once he turned that corner over the final month of the season, Winslow became Duke's most complete player.

Final grade: A

Mike Krzyzewski

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This was not Mike Krzyzewski's best coaching job, but it was among the better ones. Dealing himself a hand that included turning over roughly half of his minutes to freshmen, Krzyzewski got involved with the one-and-done deeper than any other coach besides Kentucky's John Calipari, a road he's taken over the past decade with varying success.

Duke's best teams usually had veteran leadership, and this one was mostly devoid of that outside of senior guard Quinn Cook. And that's where Krzyzewski did his best work, motivating Cook to become a leader and a mentor for so many younger players.

Final grade: B+

Overall

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From the outset, this year's Duke team was all about the freshmen. And in the end, it was those first-year players who brought home the championship.

Duke had to start over after losing a slew of contributors from the year before, but the newcomers were instant-impact players who carried this team. Senior Quinn Cook also played an integral role, but without those freshmen, this title would not have happened.

Because of so much youth, though, there were concerns that inexperience would become a problem in clutch situations. But that didn't happen, and as a result, this young-in-age team actually played like one of the most veteran groups in the country.

Final grade: A

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.