Duke Basketball: Each Projected Starter's Most Concerning Flaw

Duke is set to potentially send an all-new starting lineup onto the court when it begins its defense of its national title in November. This isn't all that uncommon in college basketball, particularly with top programs that end up losing large numbers of players early to the NBA, and usually those teams are able to replenish their roster with another batch of great recruits.

That's the case with the Blue Devils, who landed one of the best classes in the nation for the 2015-16 season and will have no shortage of talent to turn to. However, even the most promising of prospects and backups have their flaws, parts of their game that could limit their ability to perform and prevent their team from being successful.

Using our projected 2015-16 Duke starting lineup as a guide, we've identified the most concerning flaw that each likely starter has and how it could impact him and the Blue Devils.

PG Derryck Thornton

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Finishing through contact

At 6'2" and 175 pounds, Derryck Thornton is a little smaller than predecessor Tyus Jones. Thus, he might not be able to handle the rigors of being the guy who's asked to draw contact when going into the paint to either kick it out or continue toward the basket. This is an area he should quickly improve in as he spends more time in the weight room, but at the outset, it could be a weakness.

Jones was Duke's most frequent foul shooter last season other than center Jahlil Okafor, going to the line 162 times (and making 144 of those), and while many of those opportunities came because he was holding the ball in the final minutes, he also drew plenty of fouls by attacking the rim.

Thornton shot 71 percent from the line last season at Findlay Prep, per MaxPreps.

SG Grayson Allen

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Shot selection

As we saw during last year's Final Four, when Grayson Allen gets on a tear, he has the ability to be the best player on the court. His high motor and unrelenting approach to the game resembled a Tasmanian devil when he came off the bench to score 25 points in the wins over Michigan State and Wisconsin while also throwing his body around with reckless abandon to grab loose balls and disrupt opposing ball-handlers.

The 6'5" sophomore looks like the top choice to replace Quinn Cook at the shooting guard spot, beating out junior Matt Jones and freshman Luke Kennard, but in order to keep himself on the court, he'll need to be more selective and patient with his shooting.

In many of Allen's appearances last season, he rarely waited more than a few seconds after getting the ball on offense before launching his first shot. And then another, and another. He only played 322 minutes but attempted 106 field goals, a rate of one every three minutes.

Only Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow shot more frequently, while Cook averaged one shot per 3.18 minutes.

SF Brandon Ingram

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Strength

Brandon Ingram is listed at 6'9" and 190 pounds on Duke's online roster, and while he's likely to add a few more pounds before the season begins, it won't be enough to change the impression that he looks frail. It's part of why Ingram is better known for his perimeter and mid-range shooting than for being able to do anything in the paint.

Last year's small forward position was split between the trio of Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Justise Winslow, depending on what lineup Duke went with. Jones and Winslow were shorter than Ingram at 6'5" and 6'6", respectively, but each weighed in at over 200 pounds, while Jefferson was also 6'9" but had 215 pounds on his frame.

Even if Ingram sticks to the outside for most of his time on the court, increased strength will still be needed to not get abused by defenders. ESPN.com's scouting report on Ingram from earlier this year noted this, saying he must "work on his ball-handling when under intense pressure," something that being stronger can help with.

PF Chase Jeter

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Aggressiveness

While Chase Jeter's stock has been on the rise for years, the 6'10", 240-pound freshman spent much of his prep career playing against opponents who were much smaller than him. There weren't a lot of post guys his size to deal with, but that's about to change with the schedule Duke is set to face.

Jeter had the ability to score on and over most opponents, yet his patented move was a hook shot. This will help him early on this season, but as time goes by, he'll need to take it to defenders rather than let them dictate what he does on the block.

This can also help him establish an identity that can translate to the defensive end, where he's known as a strong rebounder but could be susceptible to being pushed around if he's not aggressive.

C Sean Obi

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Offensive presence

Sean Obi was the second-leading scorer for Rice as a freshman in 2013-14, but that only amounted to 11.4 points per game on 59.1 percent shooting. Obi accounted for a little more than 18 percent of the Owls' scoring that season, but at 9.3 rebounds per game, his value was more inclined toward defending and keeping plays alive.

After sitting out a season following his transfer, the 6'9", 265-pound Obi figures to be in Duke's lineup more as a rim protector than a scorer since the Blue Devils will have plenty of other offensive options. But he can't end up being an offensive liability, either, or opponents will be able to play soft on him and focus more on the other scorers.

Obi took 239 shots in 791 minutes as a freshman, about one every 3.3 minutes. Jahlil Okafor took one every 2.7 minutes. Somewhere in the middle will work fine for Obi and the Blue Devils.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.