The Duke Blue Devils held off the Wisconsin Badgers in a thriller of a National Championship Monday night, and while celebration is probably still in the air, the Cameron Crazies must also prepare to lose some of the players they've come to love.
Several of Duke's players will declare for the NBA Draft this summer, and several of them will be gone before their fans got to know them well enough. With March Madness officially over though, it's time to look at how these champs will fare in the pros.
Justise Winslow, F
The hype train for Winslow has gone beyond picking up steam-this is a runaway train. People who are into the draft should hop on it though. Winslow is the top pro prospect on this team because of the way the NBA has evolved.
Back-to-the-basket big men will always have a place in the league, but they are not plentiful anymore. As the 3-point shot has become more important, players athletic enough to guard all manner of 3-point shooters are in demand. Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs and Paul George of the Pacers have proven to have immense value later on in drafts, and these players won't catch scouts off guard anymore.
Winslow is just a freshman; his shooting must be refined and so does his decision-making. He's freakishly athletic though, capable of guarding point guards through power forwards. He's left-handed, so he'll be difficult for defenders to adjust to, and he has nice touch near the basket when he's barreling through the lane. This kid is for real, and he might, might get picked No. 1 overall.
Jahlil Okafor, C
Okafor was the guy all year, and he very likely will get picked first. His freshman season was no disappointment-he averaged 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds and helped lead the Blue Devils to a title. Unlike Winslow though, he's not exactly built for today's NBA game.
Given a year or two he may be an unstoppable post scorer, but he does not have 3-point range, nor is he a good defender. To boot, he struggles badly from the foul line, making him a shaky crunch time option. There's no doubt he has the offensive skills to be an All-Star caliber big man, but if he offers no post defense and no rim protection, are you getting closer to a title, or simply an entertaining team?
Tyus Jones, PG
Jones looks like a mighty mouse on the court, but he has the bite of a big cat. Jones made some of the most crucial plays of the night in the National Championship, and all season he has been a huge shot-maker for Duke while other players received more attention.
He scored 11.8 points and averaged a team-high 5.6 assists this year while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc. Those are incredible numbers for a freshman point guard in one of the toughest conferences college basketball has to offer. It's possible that he returns to Duke for his sophomore year, although some of his title game circus shots may have boosted his stock to the point where it doesn't make financial sense to return. Jones looks like a Top 12 pick, and his mature game should translate very well to the NBA.
Amile Jefferson, F
Jefferson may return to Duke because his numbers didn't necessarily stand out. He scored 6.1 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game, but that's because he had some killer talent in front of him. Jefferson is a big-time player in his own right, and he projects as a double-double guy based on his per 40 minutes numbers.
At 6'9 Jefferson has the height to play down low in the NBA and guard bigs, but he also has the athleticism to stick with stretch power forwards. He also can finish at the hoop-just peep his 61 percent mark from the field.
Quinn Cook, G
Cook has been Duke's senior leader all season, and UNC Tar Heels fans can tell scouts all about Cook's ability from deep. The 6'2 guard was second on the team in scoring (15.3) and shot 39 percent from 3-point range on 6.6 attempts. Because of his size, he may be a late first-round pick, or even a second-rounder. He's not a true point guard, and won't play it much if at all in the Association.
Cook's future is likely as a depth guard in the NBA. He will walk onto a roster ready to contribute, and will have his moments to shine in clutch shooting spots. He won't be an upside pick, but the team that takes him will be getting a quality player.
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