Rival Views: Most important uncommitted 2017 recruit

Rivals.com national basketball recruiting analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate which uncommitted 2017 prospect is the most important.

After spending the winter watching the teams competing for the seven remaining five-star prospects, it is clear that there are some needs that need to be addressed. Those that stick out to me are that Kentucky needs a jump shooter, Oregon could use a low post presence and UCLA could perhaps use another shooter. However, none of those stand out more to me than Duke’s need to find a point guard.

For that reason, the country’s No. 3-ranked player Trevon Duval, is the most important of the remaining five-star prospects.

To be clear, the Blue Devils are going to have beat out some serious competition in Arizona, Baylor, Kansas -- where Duval begins an official visit Tuesday -- and Seton Hall if they are going to land the explosive playmaker from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.

Having played point guard by committee all season, it has been pretty clear that Duke has lacked a floor general capable of keeping their stable of McDonald’s All-Americans happy and controlling the tempo. The Blue Devils have also suffered defensively against high-end point guards and Duval seems like the kind of guy who would be perfect to solve those issues.

Duval hasn’t announced his official visits beyond Kansas – who could also really use a point guard to replace the departing Frank Mason, especially if junior Devante Graham decides to make a run at the NBA Draft – but that should be happening soon and it is looking like his next visit could be Duke for their home game against North Carolina.

Others that I would keep a close eye on for their importance include No. 9 Kevin Knox, No. 15 Brandon McCoy and No. 20 M.J. Walker.

Knox just finished an official visit to Kentucky, where the Wildcats haven’t had a true wing with size since their national championship team in 2012 featured Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He’s already seen Duke and Florida State (where his father played college football) and only has a trip to North Carolina remaining before he gets down to decision time.

McCoy is exactly the kind of interior presence that Oregon is lacking and the Ducks are in there deep. Michigan State could use him as well but at least have two very good bigs in this class while the darkhorse could be UNLV. The Rebels need help everywhere, but McCoy would be a huge statement for new coach Marvin Menzies.

Finally, there’s Walker. Florida State is also deep in this one and if the Seminoles lose both Johnathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon to the Draft an impact wing scorer – whether it be Walker or Knox – would be exactly what’s needed. Keep an eye out for UCLA making a late move with Walker and Georgia Tech remains a possibility as Josh Pastner looks to turn things around.

While many expected Oklahoma to take a step back this season after graduating three of its top producers from its run to the Final Four last year - including Buddy Hield - no one foresaw Lon Kruger's team sitting at 8-13 overall and near the basement of the Big 12 standings.

Following the Sooners continued losses, the importance of Young has never been more evident. The five-star prospect is down to a final six, but his recruitment seems to be a two-horse race between Kansas and Oklahoma.

For Oklahoma, Young is someone that could become the face of the program from the day he steps foot on campus. Young is the type of talent that Kruger could do wonders with and the importance of landing him is ramped up because Oklahoma has no fallback plan. They have gone all-in with Young and not recruited any other point guards in 2017.

Young could help boost attendance in his hometown of Norman, but he could also potentially draw more talent to play alongside him. Thanks to his entertaining playing style and immense talent, the need for Oklahoma to land Young has never been as big as it is now. The pressure is on for the local product to stay home in the fall.

Also keep an eye on the situations of Mohamed Bamba and Brian Bowen. A recent visitor to Kentucky, Bamba is down to the Wildcats, Duke, Texas and Michigan. Bamba can be a game-changing rim protector wherever he lands though it looks like UK and Duke have the inside track. A five-star wing, Bowen is fresh off of an official visit to Michigan State -- where he could slide right in and replace Miles Bridges -- and has also seen Arizona, Creighton, NC State and Texas. The expectation is that Bowen will have a decision soon and it looks like he will likely pick between the Spartans and Zona.