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With the season winding down, we had hoped to see Amile Jefferson dress out for the Wake Forest game and thought failing that, that perhaps he might be ready for the UNC game and the big emotional boost it would give his team.
But his foot probably isn't going to allow it now and our guess is that he'll end up redshirting. He'll have the choice to play somewhere else of course, provided he graduates, but it's hard to imagine him anywhere but Duke.
We have a pretty good idea what it would mean for this year's team, but what about next year?
Barring something unexpected, Duke will return Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Sean Obi, Chase Jeter, Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton.
| Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Yr |
| Amile Jefferson | F | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. |
| Matt Jones | G | 6-5 | 200 | Jr. |
| Grayson Allen | G | 6-5 | 205 | Jr. |
| Sean Obi | F | 6-9 | 250 | Jr. |
| Chase Jeter | F/C | 6-10 | 240 | So. |
| Luke Kennard | G | 6-5 | 180 | So. |
| Derryck Thornton | G | 6-2 | 175 | So. |
| Antonio Vrankovic | C | 7-0 | 270 | So. |
| Justin Robinson | F | 6-8 | 190 | So. |
| Harry Giles | F | 6-9 | 230 | Fr. |
| Jayson Tatum | F | 6-9 | 203 | Fr. |
| Frank Jackson | G | 6-4 | 195 | Fr. |
| Javin DeLaurier | F | 6-8 | 205 | Fr. |
| Jack White | F | 6-7 | 225 | Fr. |
Antonio Vrankovic and Justin Robinson will both presumably be back. Robinson is a preferred walk-on who doesn't (currently) count against the scholarship limit.
Brandon Ingram is projected as a Top Two pick in the draft this summer, so he's almost certainly gone.
With White, that puts Duke at 13, which is the scholarship limit.
Duke will have a ton of depth. Let's break it down. This is just a depth chart and in a perfect world, you wouldn't see some of these guys in some of these positions. But either they are capable of playing other positions or already have.
Centers:
- Jefferson
- Jeter
- Obi
- Vrankovic
- Giles
Forwards:
- Jefferson
- Jeter
- Obi
- Vrankovic
- Giles
- Tatum
- DeLaurier
- Robinson
Wings:
- Jones
- Kennard
- White
Guards:
- Jones
- Allen
- Kennard
- Thornton
- Jackson
Point Guards:
- Thornton
- Jackson
- Jones
There are some guys on the roster who are still developing and who will likely not be in the primary rotation next season. Things change of course, but we're expecting the basic guys - assuming Jefferson is back - to be Jefferson, Jones, Allen, Kennard, Thornton, Giles, Tatum and Jackson.
We wouldn't be shocked if DeLaurier or White found ways to claim minutes. We also see potential in Vrankovic, who has great hands and a sense of the game we can see even in limited appearances. His instincts at this age are far better than what we saw from freshmen Marshall Plumlee or Brian Zoubek.
Picking starters is tougher. Giles and Tatum are both projected as lottery picks. They're going to play.
Jefferson brings too much to not play, but that's true of Jones, Allen, Kennard and Thornton as well.
We also expect Jeter will improve considerably. Obi dealt with a knee injury which may have slowed him down. We'll have to see.
Having that kind of depth will be a real luxury after this season. What Jefferson brings though is really crucial.
He's really been through a lot at Duke - as a freshman, he was thrust into the starting lineup too early after Mason Plumlee was injured. As a sophomore, he started up front along with Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood and averaged 6.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg. He played 27 minutes in the NCAA loss to Mercer.
Last year, he willingly stepped aside to let freshman Justise Winslow start and the payoff for his sacrifice was an NCAA championship.
This year, when he was injured, he was averaging a double-double and proving to be a superb team leader.
Given what Duke has next year, assuming he does redshirt, Jefferson will have an excellent chance at finishing his career with another Final Four appearance and a shot at another title.