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Duke Blue Devils: Short Ode to Amile Jefferson

By John Woodcock

Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Amile Jefferson (21) reacts on the court during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Amile Jefferson (21) reacts on the court during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Duke Blue Devils may not have won the National Title with their super team, but things could have been a lot worse without Amile Jefferson.

The Duke Blue Devils season is over and even now Coach Mike Krzyzewski is busily putting together another killer recruiting class to try and do it all again next year. He is even going through a bit of a purge as Chase Jeter is about to transfer from the program after realizing he won’t start for the team next year.

Jeter’s departure underlines something not well understood about this Duke season. Everyone remembers this as the year of Jayson Tatum, the trips, or unanimous ACC 1st teamer Luke Kennard. Yet this year would have looked much different for Duke without Amile Jefferson. Yes, if I had to pick an MVP for this Duke team it would be the fifth year senior that does not have the glitz or numbers of his counterparts.

Think about what this team would have been without Jefferson. Duke’s rebounding and interior defense would depend on the recovering freshman Harry Giles and the now overlooked Jeter. That would not have held the line against the Heels or the Cardinals. It would have restricted some of things Tatum could do as he would find more foul trouble on defense.

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These things were lessened because Giles could come off the bench. Jeter barely played. Tatum exploded as an offensive weapon. All because the steady captain Jefferson was there to interdict the paint. Jefferson, who would have missed this season if he had not received a medical redshirt for the last one. Jefferson, who was part of the new lineup that finally got Duke’s season turned around.

Next: Tatum Declares for NBA Draft

Jefferson is not listed in either round of NBADraft.net’s mock draft and perhaps that is fitting. He seems destined to occupy one of the chairs where John Scheyer and Nolan Smith now sit, assuming Coach K is around long enough to take him on. He may not be the NBA player that Grayson Allen, Kennard, Giles, and Tatum are projected to be, but on this team he was the reason the rest of them looked so good.

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