Duke Basketball: 5 Early Adjustments Blue Devils Should Consider

Three weeks and seven games into the 2015-16 season, Duke has looked very much like a team that had to replace 80 percent of a national-championship-winning starting lineup but also one that has the potential to match last year's feats.

The key, though, is finding the right formula that will turn the early ups and downs into the foundation for a strong finish.

Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski picked up his 1,024th career victory on Sunday, an 85-52 home win over Utah State. He's been around long enough to know that there's a lot of season left and adjustments will need to be made over the course of the year in order to get his 36th Duke team playing its best.

His ideas are certainly better than anything we could think of, but what's the harm in making a few suggested changes?

Commit to Derryck Thornton at the Point

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Freshman Derryck Thornton was back on the bench on Sunday after starting three straight games at point guard. This was likely due to a poor showing the last time out against Yale. He didn't take the move well, making just one of nine shots for two points and two assists in 19 minutes against Utah State.

The 6'2" Thornton scored 33 points during his first two starts, when he showed off the skill set that made it possible for him to reclassify to 2015 and start college when he should be a high school senior.

But it must also be remembered that he's younger than nearly everyone else on the court each game, and ups and downs will happen.

He's not Tyus Jones, a freshman who could step right in and command the point, which explains why Grayson Allen and Matt Jones were working the 1 to start this season. But as the only true point guard on the roster, Thornton has to be involved in the long run for this Duke team to succeed.

The nonconference slate is when growing pains are easier to deal with, so Thornton should either return to the starting lineup or at least get enough minutes to work through the learning curve in games instead of just during practice.

Maximize Brandon Ingram's Length

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The biggest name in Duke's freshman class, Brandon Ingram hasn't looked like someone who was rated No. 3 in the 2015 class by 247Sports to this point.

At times, he's looked completely disinterested when on the court—particularly on the defensive end, where his lanky 6'9" frame figured to be an asset in some situations.

Instead, Ingram has often been a liability when guarding one-on-one, except when opponents try to post up on him. This is when his length has made up for what so far hasn't been much lateral quickness, and it's why when Duke is on defense and Ingram is in the game, he should be switching to guard as far from the perimeter as possible.

At the same time, it's probably wise to move past trying to make Ingram a weapon on offense in the paint. He doesn't seem that keen on trying to outmuscle defenders, preferring to shoot jumpers and drive instead of bang around inside.

Find Minutes for Chase Jeter

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At 10 minutes per game, Chase Jeter is getting the kind of action that Grayson Allen saw last year as a freshman. Which is to say, not very much.

Duke could afford to bring Allen along slowly, only play him when the opportunity presented itself, since it had plenty of guards and shooters. The fact that he was able to explode in the Final Four was more a product of his ability than how he'd been developed.

The Blue Devils don't have the luxury of not needing the 6'10" Jeter this season—not with as thin as they are up front and lacking a dominant player such as Jahlil Okafor. Seniors Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee have held up well in the frontcourt, but over the course of the season, they're going to have off nights and need someone to step in for one or the other.

Jeter is the answer, but Duke has to get him into the game more. He had 13 minutes on Sunday, one fewer than in the previous three games when Duke faced much tougher competition.

In order for Jeter to develop into someone the Blue Devils can turn to, they have to get him involved regardless of the opponent.

Make the Zone the Norm

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Man-to-man defense is as emblematic of a Duke team as having scrappy guards opposing fans love to hate. Yet several times so far this season, the Blue Devils have been torn apart so easily when playing man that Mike Krzyzewski has gone to zone in an effort to stop the bleeding.

The win over Georgetown in the 2K Classic Final was heavily aided by this switch, and had the Blue Devils not gone to a 1-3-1 zone on Wednesday against Yale, that amazingly long nonconference home win streak might have come to an end.

"The change in strategy paid immediate dividends when Yale committed a shot-clock violation on the first possession out of the timeout," Hank Tucker of the Chronicle wrote. "Duke remained in the zone for much of the rest of the night and ultimately coasted to an 80-61 win."

It might go against Krzyzewski's principles, but why not make the zone appear more often than just in times of crisis?

Keep Shuffling the Starting Lineup

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Duke started the same five in each of its first three games, but after losing to Kentucky, some changes happened. And they continued to the point where the Blue Devils have now used a few different lineups.

With six more games before the ACC schedule starts, even further shuffling can only help identify which quintet is the best to go with for conference play.

Wednesday's game against visiting Indiana and the mid-December contest against Utah in New York City might not be the best times to try out a different lineup, but the games against Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Elon and Long Beach State are.

These are opportunities to possibly start Luke Kennard—who finally showed his promise with a career-high 22 points on Sunday—in the backcourt or try out Chase Jeter up front.

Once the calendar turns to January, the rotation of players and their roles should be set. For now, though, the remaining contests should be used to tinker and experiment—not just with substitutions but also the starting lineup.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.