This is the equation that the Duke Basketball team and it’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski must figure out this year, because if the answer is no then Duke will have a hard time getting back the promise land this season.
Duke is obviously without Brian Zoubek a huge cog in the machine that brought that banner to Cameron, his knack for offensive rebounding and knowing when to kick and when to look to for his own shot. Hopefully he has imparted some of what made him so important to last years team.
Duke has the benefit of two strong and athletic power forwards in its starting lineup the key is getting them to perform similarly and as tenaciously as Zoubek did, if between them they can be monsters or even serviceable on the boards Duke has a realistic change to be special this year.
I know it’s only one game into the season but neither Miles nor Mason showed up in big enough fashion in the season opener against Princeton. If my memory serves me correctly the brothers Plum finished with 6 rebounds between them and folks that will definitely not get it done. With the way this team is built to shoot, recycling those possessions is going to be a must on some nights and those rebounds can be an asset if in addition to their obvious athleticism the Plumlees learn to bang out good position under the hoop. Not only can the Plumlees create offensive opportunities for themselves but as we all know Duke is known for kicking the ball back outside for it’s bombers behind the arc. So as a fan I’m hoping to see numbers nearing double figures in rebounding for these guys. Guard play is already there, but if the power forward spot can get it going this could be a very dangerous team.
