Duke Basketball: 5 New Year's Resolutions for the Blue Devils

Duke is wrapping up quite a good year, winning the program's fifth national championship back in April and also seeing coach Mike Krzyzewski reach 1,000 career victories. The tail end of 2015 has been good, too, with the Blue Devils bringing a 9-2 record into their final two nonconference games.

After that, the calendar switches to 2016, and the schedule flips over to ACC play. And with those logistical changes, there's room for team adjustments to ensure Duke will have a shot to defend its national title.

Here are five things Duke should resolve to do in 2016, each something that can help drive the Blue Devils through the remainder of the season.

No Contact in Practice

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The foot injury that has sidelined senior forward Amile Jefferson means Duke is down to just seven players in its rotation. And that's only if you include freshman Chase Jeter, who is playing less than nine minutes per game.

With so little depth, particularly in the frontcourt, this puts the Blue Devils in the danger zone if another injury comes along. Jefferson got hurt during a practice, breaking his right foot while going after a loose ball on Dec. 12, per C.L. Brown of ESPN.

That might be the last time any of Duke's key player go full bore during practice, for fear of getting hurt. Injuries that happen during games are unavoidable, but with the thin lineup expect the Blue Devils to steer clear of full-speed and full-contact practices.

Share the Ball

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Duke has made 319 field goals in its first 11 games, but only 139 of those have come as the result of a teammate's pass. The team's 42.9 percent assist rate is the 11th-worst among 351 Division I teams, and only Penn State shares the ball less among power-conference teams.

Despite having one of the country's top-scoring offenses, sitting eighth at 86.2 points per game, the Blue Devils are getting most of their points despite much ball movement. Much of this has to do with Duke lacking a true point guard in the lineup, as freshman Derryck Thornton has only started four games.

Sophomore Grayson Allen is the team leader in assists, with 34, while also being Duke's top scorer. Thornton started the last game, the Dec. 19 overtime loss to Utah in New York City, but he had only four assists in 42 minutes.

Defend Without Fouling

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Duke's depth issue also means having to resort to playing zone defense instead of Coach Krzyzewski's traditional man-to-man approach. At times during the first two months of this season, the Blue Devils went to the zone when opponents were tearing apart the man-to-man, but now it will become the rule instead of the exception.

The zone will keep players from tiring as quickly, which is imperative when the rotation only includes six or seven players. But in order for it to be fully effective, Duke has to guard without getting called for fouls.

The Blue Devils commit 17 fouls per game, with three foul-outs. Two of those were from senior center Marshall Plumlee, including on Dec. 19 against Utah.

Plumlee is the player Duke can least afford to lose because freshman Chase Jeter is the only replacement available.

Find Meaningful Minutes for Chase Jeter

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Rated by 247Sports as the 15th-best player in the 2015 recruiting class, Chase Jeter may someday live up to that ranking. For now, he's a long way away from being even close to a key contributor for Duke.

Laura Keeley of the News & Observer wrote Jeter "isn't yet capable of playing and thinking with the speed and physicality high-major basketball requires," which is why he's seen limited action in Duke's biggest games. That might not be avoidable as the season progresses, especially if Jefferson's foot injury keeps him out longer than the low-end prediction of a month.

The upcoming games against Elon and Long Beach State will be great for giving the 6'10" Jeter an opportunity to develop—games where he could be left on an island in hopes he'll learn through live action. The same goes for the Jan. 2 ACC opener at Boston College, as well as upcoming league tilts with Virginia Tech and Clemson.

By the time the meat of the ACC schedule comes around in mid-January, though, if Jeter isn't ready to be a significant player, he won't be one at all this season.

Focus Better on the Road

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The friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium always bring out the best in Duke, which has won 14 in a row at home overall and 123 straight against nonconference opponents. The average margin of victory in Durham this season has been 26.4 points per game.

But when Duke has ventured away from Cameron, the results have been far less lopsided.

Granted, four of the Blue Devils' toughest games so far have been away from home, including the losses to Kentucky and Utah as well as single-digit victories over VCU and Georgetown in the 2K Classic in New York City. And while Duke had plenty of fans at those games, particularly the ones at Madison Square Garden in New York, so too did the opponents.

There aren't any more neutral-site games until the ACC tournament, which this year will be in Washington, D.C. Between now and then are nine conference road games, with three coming in the first four ACC games.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.