Duke Blue Devils: 2016 NBA Playoff Team

Nine Duke Blue Devils are in the NBA Playoffs this year. What would that team look like?

The Duke Blue Devils have been rearming for the next season. Whether it is the return of Grayson Allen or the arrival of the next great freshman Duke trio, there are reasons for optimism. There are also a fair amount of Duke players still playing the basketball right now in the NBA Playoffs.

All told there are nine of these guys that are still active. While not the thirteen Tar Heels that are out there, it is still a big number. Portland has two. Cleveland has one. Oklahoma City has one. Miami has three. The Clippers have two.

Perhaps in true Duke fashion this would create a roster with a shorter rotation. They could only go nine deep, but maybe the quality of that nine is good enough?

Here is the roster pool:

C – Mason Plumlee (Portland)

PF – Josh McRoberts (Miami), Luol Deng (Miami)

SF – Justise Winslow (Miami), Kyle Singler (Oklahoma City)

SG – J.J. Redick (LA Clippers), Gerald Henderson (Portland)

PG – Kyrie Irving (Cleveland), Austin Rivers (LA Clippers)

The result of a smaller pool is almost immediately apparent. Plumlee is almost forced into the five spot when he is a more traditional four man down low. That lack of size will also affect the man who is paired with him.

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The other thing to note is how many Duke products are missing from this list. Future Duke playoff teams should end up with Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker, and Rodney Hood, but they are missing from this batch of players.

Anyway, on with team construction:

Center – Mason Plumlee. He is the only player with the requisite size and he has been put at that position before.

Power Forward – We are looking at two Miami Heat players. Deng is really a three, but he is playing the four spot with the injury to Chris Bosh. That said, he is still seeing more time than McRoberts and therefore must get the nod for the spot here. This Duke team will be playing small ball around a Plumlee, where have I heard that before?

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Small Forward – The talented Winslow lands in the starting five. The Thunder have really reduced Kyle Singler’s role this year and therefore the rookie wins out over the vet.

Shooting guard – Redick and Henderson do different things, but Redick is one of the most reliable shooters in the game. Therefore he has to get the nod. Henderson would make a good sixth man for this team, which would need his energy off the bench.

Point guard – Kyrie Irving. It is hard to look at this team and see something other than the Kyrie Irving show. He will be the primary ball handler and the primary scorer. No one will complain if he does those things either.

Bench – You have to take the four guys who are left. Henderson and McRoberts are the first two off the bench. Rivers came come in Irving occasionally and Singler can see spot duty.

Duke Playoff Team Lineup:

C Mason Plumlee

PF Luol Deng

SF Justise Winslow

SG J.J. Redick

PG Kyrie Irving

6^th Man Gerald Henderson

Next: Derryck Thornton to Transfer

So that is what the Duke playoff team would be like. Yet if they and the Carolina team were playing on a playground somewhere, there is one more squad who might want in on the action. Wonder who that could be…