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Duke Blue Devils: Kevin Knox’s Two Days of Decision

By John Woodcock

Mar 26, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All-American forward Kevin Knox II (23) poses for a photo during the 2017 McDonalds All American Game Portrait Day at Chicago Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All-American forward Kevin Knox II (23) poses for a photo during the 2017 McDonalds All American Game Portrait Day at Chicago Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts 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: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mike Krzyzewski, or perhaps Capel, gets the last word in this process. That is very telling to me. Unlike Mizzou, he has a deep coaching resume. Unlike Carolina, the NCAA is not poking around. Unlike Kentucky, he has won a national title with a freshman superteam more recently. He has a well-established role to offer – the stretch four and proof that playing bigger than your NBA position won’t hurt your draft prospects.

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If Knox needs to see the future then he can see Hood, Justise Winslow, or Jayson Tatum. He will play on a roster with champion Grayson Allen on it. Aside from Allen will be a boatload of recruits of similar quality to Kentucky’s. Except that none of them would threaten Knox’s role on a Duke team. Even the guys that Duke hasn’t signed yet would not jeopardize his spot in the lineup.

One of the disadvantages to choosing Duke would Coach K’s stubbornness about using a short rotation and falling back on more established role players. This team does not have those guys outside of Allen and Frank Jackson. There should be no reason for Knox to get benched in favor of more senior leadership, simply because there are no seniors (Allen plays a different position).

That does not even include Coach K’s cache with today’s pros from his time as the Olympic coach. Or the leadership commercials of days gone by.

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In the end, I think Knox chooses Duke. It is the best compromise of what he is trying to do in his one year of college. He will play a lot. The team has the talent for a NCAA Tournament run while he is there. The coach has a proven record of winning.

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