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Duke Blue Devils: Luke Kennard Adds to Turnover

By John Woodcock

Mar 17, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard (5) drives to the basket against Troy Trojans forward DeVon Walker (25) in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Luke Kennard (5) drives to the basket against Troy Trojans forward DeVon Walker (25) in the first 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 are sending another player to the pros in the person of Luke Kennard. What will Duke look like next year?

The Duke Blue Devils lost another of this year’s puzzle that never quite got solved as unanimous 1st team ACC selection Luke Kennard declared for the NBA Draft and intends to sign with an agent according to the Associated Press. Kennard is ranked as a pick in the late lottery to early twenties by NBADraft.net after establishing himself as Duke’s key scorer in his second season.

So Duke has now lost another player to mean that a rebuild is on the way. Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones graduated. Freshmen Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum declared for the draft. Chase Jeter transferred out. So did Sean Obi. Now Kennard too is leaving- for the Draft.

The next person to focus on is Duke guard Grayson Allen. Allen did not have the best year last year though he was still really productive at times. Injuries slowed him a little bit and took his draft stock down a bit with him. Allen also had to play out of position much of the time at point guard. Allen could be looking at coming back as a senior if he only rates as a second round pick. He should probably explore the draft process anyway just to get feedback before returning to Duke.

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That brings us to the guys actually playing for Duke next year. Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden will be back for their sophomore seasons. Jackson improved at the end of the year while Bolden was limited by injuries the whole year. He should gets lots of time.

Duke may also give more time to guys who sat the Duke bench with Bolden. That might include forward Javin DeLaurier, wing Justin Robinson, forward Jack White, or center Antonio Vrankovic.

The new car smell, however, belongs to the incoming freshman class. They include number 3 center Wendell Carter, number two shooting guard Gary Trent, Jr, and number 17 shooting guard Alex O’Connell. Clearly Duke is ready if Allen and Kennard decide not to return.

Next: Harry Giles Declares for the Draft

A Duke lineup could be Jackson-Allen-Trent-Carter-Bolden if things play for the best. If not, replace Allen with O’Connell and we get a very talented but very young Duke starting five of sophomores and freshmen.

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