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Duke’s Best Plug-And-Play Athletes

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Kansas Danny Manning (25) in action, shot vs Duke Robert Brickey (21) at Kemper Arena. Kansas City, MO 4/2/1988  | Set Number: X36362 TK1 R10 F25

These guys were able to fill roles that made their teams much better

In our first installment on Duke’s best forwards, we realized how tough it would be to list them, because the normal classifications don’t really work. So we broke it down into categories within the position:

  • Stretch 4’s
  • Wings
  • Athlete

In some ways, athlete was the most interesting category. When he was head coach, Mike Krzyzewski moved these guys around to address weaknesses on his teams. As always this list is subjective and you may differ on some. Also, there will be some overlap with other previous lists.

  • David Henderson. In many ways the heart and soul of the great 1986 team, Henderson came off the bench for much of his career and provided a jolt of athleticism and toughness wherever he was asked to play.
  • Robert Brickey. Coach K was an early advocate of just having players and not restricting them to positional definitions. At 6-5 and most playing inside against bigger opponents, Brickey was the first truly unconventional move of the K era. He was also the first great leaper of the era and was quite strong too. This allowed him to play against much bigger guys and to let Danny Ferry roam the court to great effect.
  • Thomas Hill. An underappreciated talent from the back-to-back champions of 1991-92, Hill was highly athletic and a superb defender. He could take it inside against bigger guys too. He is best remembered for the incredible face he made when Christian Laettner hit The Shot against Kentucky, but he was much more than that.
  • Billy King. Less versatile in that he struggled to hit even layups, King more than compensated by being the greatest defender in Duke history. The guy was an absolute beast on D and always threw himself totally into it. His defense against Temple’s Mark Macon in the NCAA tournament was so overwhelming that it permanently changed the public perception of Macon. He could fill in at point guard too.
  • Grant Hill. What can you say? The guy did everything. When Bobby Hurley hurt his foot in 1992, Hill stepped in at point guard and the team didn’t miss a beat. When Duke played Purdue in the NCAA tournament, he volunteered to guard Glenn Robinson and controlled him. He was the ultimate chess piece for a creative coach.
  • Brian Davis. When he became a starter, things changed for Duke. He was a tough defender and charismatic. That wasn’t easy to be in 1991 with Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley providing plenty, not to mention Grant Hill, who had a quieter rizz. Davis really was perfect in that lineup.
  • Chris Carrawell. Asked to compete against the great Tim Duncan as a freshman, C-Well more than held his own. The guy just did whatever was needed to win and was relentlessly positive. Other than Grant Hill, he may be the most versatile player Duke has had. Who else could defend a point guard and a center?
  • Nate James. It took a while for his value to be clear but James was one of the toughest players Duke has ever seen. He had it in for Maryland fans, who made it personal when they went after his family, and personally gutted the Terps on more than on occasion, most notably by hitting the key tip-in in the ACC Tournament in 2001.
  • Dahntay Jones. A transfer from Rutgers, Jones became eligible after the 2001 championship and provided immense athleticism, particularly on defense. Greatest play: his massive dunk against Virginia, followed by pushups.
  • Dave McClure. He was never flashy, but when McClure came in the game, good things happened. He was just sort of Mr. Fixit. You may remember him for this. Look who made the pass too.
  • DeMarcus Nelson. Nelson was versatile enough to score well and also be a superb rebounder - at 6-4. He was also a solid defender.
  • Reggie Love. Love was a walk-on from the football team who carved out a legendary role: when Carlos Boozer was injured late in 2001, Krzyzewski unconventionally put the 6-4 Love in at center and rebuilt the team offensively around a three-point attack. The powerful Love defended very well and when Boozer returned, Duke had multiple options to throw at people.
  • Lance Thomas. Highly recruited, Thomas had some weaknesses when he got to Duke. If memory serves, he didn’t have a single assist as a freshman. However, he developed and became very solid and also a tremendous leader. He was a major factor in the 2010 championship.
  • Matt Jones. Recruited as a three point shooter, it quickly became clear that Jones could not do that at the collegiate level. He remade himself as a defender and emerged as a key factor in the 2015 championship team. Coach K once said that Jones “never had a bad practice,” which is pretty incredible over four years.
  • Justise Winslow. He moved into the starting lineup in 2015 alongside Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook and his defense and athleticism complimented the other starters perfectly. He also was an excellent rebounder, grabbing nine against Wisconsin in the title game.
  • Amile Jefferson. He was thrown into the fire as a skinny freshman due to an injury and was not ready, but later, he became a huge asset. His rebounding was excellent and at 6-9, he had a lot of versatility on defense. His willingness to come off the bench as a senior played a huge role in the 2015 championship.
  • Zion Williamson. It’s hard to have a list of versatile athletes without listing Williamson. He was so overwhelming that you can’t really consider him in the same sense as most of the guys on this list, but he was sort of Superman on the court and did what he wanted, when he wanted. Entirely unique player.
  • Jack White. Initially a fan favorite, White was a tough-minded defender and rebounder who eventually emerged as a dangerous three point shooter. Like a lot of the guys on this list, he was sort of a fireman. He could address a lot of problems.

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