This week’s Rivals roundtable covers a massive swath of ground, as national analysts Rob Cassidy and Travis Graf attack a trio of questions from every corner of the basketball world. Below, the duo weighs in on Duke’s change in recruiting philosophy, Bronny James’ draft projections and the storyline that has defined the college basketball season thus far.
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Jon Scheyer is on record saying he plans to recruit fewer high schoolers going forward. Do you think this is a good strategy for a program like Duke?
“I think it is. It’s not without some potential pitfalls, but I agree with the premise. Scheyer wants to take only no-doubt impact players from the high school ranks while saving spots for transfers that have already proven that their game translates to the college level. With that strategy comes some risk, however, as evaluations become much more important as your focus shrinks. Also, molding a freshman to fit your plan is a bit easier than asking a guy that has experienced Division I success to play within your system. In the end, it’s the right strategy for the times, but creating a revolving door of transfers comes with different risks. Transfer-heavy roster construction makes fixing problems easier, but revamping a locker room year to year also increases the likelihood of the occasional Louisville-style disaster season. - Cassidy
“I think Duke rounding out a roster with transfers that are the right fit makes a ton of sense, but I wouldn’t build my entire roster with transfers. Scheyer has been around elite players while playing and coaching in Durham, and he knows how to handle them. Like I said, it’s more about getting pieces that fit than anything, though. I’m of the opinion that the transfer portal has a lot of fool's gold. For every one player that transfers up a level or hops to a powerhouse and succeeds, there are 10 of those players that never really find their footing like the staff bringing them in hoped they would.” - Graf
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Will Bronny James be a lottery pick when the time comes?
“I could see this going either way, but I’m going to play the odds and say he will. First, I think people line up to pile on Bronny James because he isn’t a top 10, can’t-miss prospect and forget that he’d be in NBA discussions as a 3-and-d guy even if his name was Bronny Jones. If he improves this year as much as he improved last year, I think the conversation around him becomes very different. Then there’s the fact that he comes as a package deal with his aging but still incredibly talented dad, who wields some serious power. We can’t sit here and pretend that James, in the era of player empowerment, couldn’t lean on the Lakers (or whoever) to trade up in order to draft his son. There are a million moving parts here and we have a long way to go until draft day 2024, but Bronny in the lottery is certainly starting to feel like a real possibility.” - Cassidy
“Let me start off by saying that I don’t agree with any take that’s too high or too low on James. I think he’s a nice role player and could possibly carve out a niche in the league due to his IQ and pedigree, but he’s not a superstar. He’s also not a bad player like people on the other side of the spectrum like to say. Do I think he’s a top 10 pick after one year? No. Do I think he’s a player who could develop in time and play his way into a late first, early second-round guy? Yes. I could see him getting drafted high after his freshman season based off of the franchise that selects him ultimately ending up with his father as well.” - Graf
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The 2022-23 season is winding down. What story has defined it?
“I really think this season has aggressively underscored how much the transfer portal has changed college hoops. Kansas State went from having two returning player to a possible No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in a few months. Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky are all unranked. Bryce Hopkins has unlocked his potential after moving from Kentucky to Providence. The list goes on and on. It feels as though the portal has increased parity in the sport that was never short on it in the first place.” - Cassidy
“I think the story of this season comes down to how wide open it is. There’s no team that other programs are absolutely terrified of matching up with in the NCAA Tournament, and everyone has their flaws. As Rob talked about, most of the bluebloods are struggling this year, outside of Kansas, and I really think this is a year where you could see a struggling team get hot at the right time like you did with North Carolina last year. I’m sticking with my preseason pick of Houston winning it all, but absolutely nothing would surprise me.” - Graf
