Duke Basketball: Biggest Ups and Downs from 2015 Offseason so Far

It's been mostly smooth sailing for Duke basketball since it cut down the net at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in April. Duke had an offseason that's been devoid of any major bad news in terms of injuries, academics or behavior issues with players, or changes to the Blue Devils' coaching staff.

Duke is about six weeks away from beginning preseason workouts ahead of the 2015-16 season, when it will look to defend its fifth national title. But it will do so with a completely retooled lineup.

Acclimating to new teammates is just one of the things that has made for an up-and-down offseason. Read along as we chronicle what else of note has happened for Duke since the previous season came to a close.

Down: Saying Goodbye to Champions

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Success breeds success, so it was no surprise that the three most important non-senior players in Duke's run to a national title decided that one season was more than enough at the college level. Freshmen Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow all declared for the NBA draft not long after the NCAA Championship Game, bringing the number of one-and-done players that Mike Krzyzewski has in his tenure to eight.

All of those have been since 1999, when Corey Maggette left after one season. There have been six since 2011.

None of this set of departures was in any way a shock, since all three players saw their names regularly listed on mock drafts (and each ended up taken in the first round in June). Had fellow freshman Grayson Allen turned pro, as some speculated following his breakout performance during the Final Four, it would have been a different story.

Instead, Duke was prepared for those players to leave after one season, something Krzyzewski planned for in recruiting as well as with the acquisition of Rice transfer Sean Obi to help fill the roster for 2015-16.

Up: A Late Boost to the 2015-16 Team

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When Duke's title was secured in April, it knew it was losing at least four starters in the freshmen trio and senior Quinn Cook. But it hadn't yet landed enough players to fill all of those spots, having signed just two players during the fall and without any commitments from available 2015 recruits.

That all changed by the end of the month, as four players—including two 5-star prospects—pledged to the Blue Devils. The big gets were forward Brandon Ingram, an in-state product who chose Duke over North Carolina, and guard Derryck Thornton. Thornton had been set to be part of the class of 2016, but on April 20 he reclassified to 2015 and picked Duke over Louisville and others.

Along with fellow late signees Justin Robinson and Antonio Vrankovic as well as November acquisitions Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard, Duke ended up with the No. 2 recruiting class (per 247Sports) a year after bringing in the top-ranked group.

Down: Hello, My Name Is

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Duke's roster will be as talented as ever thanks to the newcomers that will suit up for 2015-16, but rarely has Mike Krzyzewski's roster had so much change from one year to the next. Of the players expected to contribute this season, only four (seniors Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee, junior Matt Jones and sophomore Grayson Allen) played last year.

Sophomore Sean Obi was on the team in 2014-15, but he was only able to practice after transferring from Rice.

With six newcomers added to the returning group—as well as a handful of walk-ons—Duke's upcoming roster will be very different from the one we most recently saw play. In order to ensure the new group is able to live up to the expectations that come with being a defending champion, Krzyzewski and his staff will likely go through plenty of ups-and-downs and experience a few frustration-fueled headaches as this team learns how to play with and alongside each other.

And much of that will need to be dealt with before the season, as Duke's third game of the year is against Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Chicago.

Up: A Big 2016-17 Recruiting Win

247Sports

Since the recruiting trail never goes cold in college basketball, plenty of work has already been done to set up Duke's roster for 2016-17. Some of the players who have yet to compete for the Blue Devils this season could be gone a year from now, so finding the next batch of instant impact players is very important to keep the program at the top of the game.

So far, Duke only has one commitment for 2016, but it's a doozy. Jayson Tatum, a 6'8" forward from St. Louis who is rated as the No. 3 player in his class, picked the Blue Devils over Kentucky, North Carolina and Saint Louis in early July.

He's what is expected to be just the first piece of another strong class, as the Blue Devils currently have scholarship offers out to seven other uncommitted players who are all ranked 31st or better in the 2016 class.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.