Duke is slowly morphing into the superpower they were always supposed to be

With what was hyped as one of the most talented rosters ever assembled, it seemed like the only thing that could bring down the 2016-17 Duke Blue Devils was injury. For a while, it looked like that’s exactly what would happen.

ESPN’s No. 1 recruit Harry Giles had knee surgery in early October. No. 3 Jayson Tatum injured his foot in late October. No. 16 recruit Marques Bolden suffered a lower-leg in jury days before the Blue Devils’ season opener.

Duke entered the season short-handed but still as stacked as any team in the nation.

The Blue Devils started 7-1, with their lone loss coming by two to then-No. 7 Kansas. They were good, but far from dominant.

Enter Tatum.

The 6’8 small forward returned for Duke’s ninth game of the season, scoring 10 points in 20 minutes against Maine. In his second time out, he fought through contact like he had never been hurt, and showed a confidence to go one-on-one that belied his two-game college career.

Against Florida at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic, Tatum finished against the Gators’ bigs and even created his own shot with a smooth fadeaway.

His skill set is so diverse that one NBA scout thinks we can be looking at a future great.

With Tatum’s emergence, along with the veterans Matt Jones and Grayson Allen locked into their positions, conventional wisdom dictates that Luke Kennard will now assume a diminished role.

The reality is that there’s no way Krzyzewski can afford to take the sophomore out of the lineup. Kennard’s 11-for-16 shooting night against Florida included 5-for-7 from three, with several staving off attempted Florida runs down the stretch. He led all scorers with 29 points. The former McDonald’s All-American has nearly doubled his scoring and rebounding output from last year and has posted three straight 20-plus-point games.

Duke’s depth chart is overloaded in the backcourt, but it doesn’t seem to have caused a chemistry problem so far. Against Florida, the Blue Devils doled out 16 assists on 32 made baskets, something that Krzyzewski says he saw coming in the preseason.

“They like each other,” Coach K said. “When they were all healthy in practice that’s all they did. They just made plays for one another and we haven’t been able to do that completely, but you can see signs of it.”

With interchangeable guards and wings, 6’9 Amile Jefferson has been left free to have an All-American season inside. For now.

Enter Bolden.

Like Tatum, Bolden saw his first action of the season in the Maine game, but he’s still working his way back. Against the Black Bears, he had seven points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. Against the Gators, Jefferson’s play (24 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks) rendered Bolden unnecessary, allowing him to continue to catch up to game speed.

“He’s ready to go,” Krzyzewski said. “We’re just bringing him along a little bit differently. He’ll be the first sub for a big guy.”

With a healthy Bolden, Duke is balanced enough to be one of the best teams in recent college basketball memory. That is assuming Giles is back to full strength sometime soon.

Krzyzewski said on Tuesday that Giles is closing in on a return and would hopefully play in a game before Christmas.

Giles, who has drawn comparisons to a young Chris Webber, has both the touch and physicality to do whatever he wants inside. His rebounding, passing, ball-handling, and ability to finish will make him one of the most multi-dimensional 6’10 big men in the game.

Once healthy, it seems the biggest problem for Duke is going to be how to manage minutes and juggle lineups. Krzyzewski has traditionally kept a short bench, preferring to trust maybe seven players with the vast majority of playing time. He’s about to have what he called a Rubik’s cube of a problem: trying to find the right combination to maximize the other-worldly talents he has at his disposal.

“They’ll all fit in,” Krzyzewski said, without revealing exactly how it will work. “They’ll all respond. They’re all good kids and they’re all about winning.”

We’re about to see the kind of beast Duke can become. As Krzyzewski kept saying, injuries have forced the Blue Devils to play from behind.

“It’s almost like we’re in October mode now, where everyone else is in December mode,” Krzyzewski said. “But I think we could catch up.”

Good luck finding someone to have sympathy for the Blue Devils in the meantime.