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#AskChron: Duke basketball 2013-14 and the NBA Draft

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With Duke gearing up for the 2013-14 season and the NBA Draft less than a month away, we took to Twitter to answer some questions our readers submitted to @dukebasketball.

There’s a lot to talk about now, so let’s dive in:

Bobby Colton: As we learned last season, the starting lineup can change without any warning whatsoever. All through the exhibition season we were led to believe Quinn Cook and Alex Murphy would both start, yet when Duke opened up the season it was Tyler Thornton and Rasheed Sulaimon running with the first unit. As far as I can tell, there will be four guarantees in the starting lineup. Cook will be the team’s starting point guard. The 6-foot-1 guard out of Washington D.C. earned the assignment after averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 assists per game last season. Cook proved to be a true distributor and displayed a refined 3-point shot that made defenses stay honest. Sulaimon will start on the wing due to his ability to be an impact two-way player. He could very well be Duke’s best offensive and defensive player this season. Jabari Parker, the freshman ranked No. 2 in his class by ESPN, will start at one forward spot and could very well be the team’s best player this year. Sophomore transfer Rodney Hood also has a forward spot locked in. In his freshman year at Mississippi State, Hood showed considerable potential by averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

That leaves one more spot in the front court. The candidates for that spot include sophomore Amile Jefferson, redshirt sophomore Marshall Plumlee and senior Josh Hairston. I expect this spot in the starting lineup to be fluid all year, but my guess is that head coach Mike Krzyzewski will give a vote of confidence to his senior and start Hairston opening day. There will be an open competition this offseason between the three players, and though Hairston may be the least skilled of the trio, he provides experience that neither of the other two can offer.
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Duke basketball alumni measure up at the combine

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Duke’s trio of seniors, Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry, are not participating in drills at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, but they did get measured along with the other draft hopefuls. Here are some interesting measurement notes, as per ESPN’s Chad Ford. The official measurements—which are expected to match Ford’s—will be released today.

Mason Plumlee measured taller than expected at the NBA draft combine.

Mason Plumlee measured taller than expected at the NBA draft combine.

    • Duke prospects stand taller than expected: All three of Plumlee, Kelly and Curry recorded heights in shoes taller than the playing heights listed for them by the Blue Devils this season. Curry measured in at 6-foot-3, a full inch taller than expected. For a guard who will make his living as a shooting guard, every inch will count. Kelly was only slightly taller than expected, coming in a shade under 7-feet tall after being listed at 6-foot-11 this season. Plumlee’s size may be the most important as far as draft stock is concerned. Plumlee was 6-foot-11.25 in socks after being sized at 6-foot-10 this season. Measuring half an inch above 7 feet wearing shoes, Plumlee was one of only seven big men to record heights greater than 7-feet, which may help teams see Plumlee as an option at the center spot.
Ryan Kelly's body fat is up, but it is probably due to his injury trouble this past season. Photo by Jisoo Yoon/The Chronicle

Ryan Kelly’s body fat is up, but it is may be due to his injury trouble this past season. Photo by Jisoo Yoon/The Chronicle

  • Injuries cause weight gain/muscle loss: Kelly and Curry dealt with injuries for much of the 2012-13 season, and now it’s showing at the combine. Kelly recorded the highest body fat, coming at at 14.8 percent. Though his body fat is up, his weight is actually down two pounds from his playing weight. The expectation is that when healthy the body fat will be solved. The same can be said for Curry. Curry was tied for the fourth highest body fat figure—second highest among guards behind just Providence’s Ricky Ledo. His weight, however, was almost six pounds lower than the number listed by Duke.
  • Duke players have short arms: At least comparatively. Curry’s wingspan is only 6-foot-4, which is only an inch longer than his height. The concern with Curry is that guards who need to create their own shot—as Curry will need to do as a 3-point shooter—need the length to do so.  Kelly and Plumlee both had wingspans shorter than their heights. This could be especially problematic for Plumlee. Even though his height is impressive, he has a shorter wingspan than a number of shorter big men who could go in the first round, such as Steven Adams, Gorgui Dieng and C.J. Leslie. One player of note with a shorter wingspan than Plumlee was Cody Zeller, who was the same exact height as the Duke grad.

Curry, Kelly and Plumlee invited to NBA Draft Combine

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Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee have all been invited to participate in the 2013 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. The NBA released the names of its 60 invitees Thursday evening. The Combine will take place May 16 and 17 at the United Center.

Mason Plumlee was one of three former Blue Devils invited to the NBA Draft Combine. (Eliza Bray/Chronicle File Photo)

Mason Plumlee was one of three former Blue Devils invited to the NBA Draft Combine. (Eliza Bray/Chronicle File Photo)

Plumlee is likely to be Duke’s only player to fully participate in the Combine. Curry and Kelly both underwent offseason surgery, Curry on his right leg and Kelly on his right foot. The rehabilitation process is expected to take 10-12 weeks for Curry and 12-16 weeks for Kelly.

Participants in the NBA Draft Combine will have the opportunity to show off their skills for professional scouts and interview with coaches and executies from NBA teams.

Other participants from ACC schools include North Carolina’s Reggie Bullock, N.C. State’s Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, Maryland’s Alex Len, Miami’s Kenny Kadji and Shane Larkin and Virginia Tech’s Erick Green.

Duke basketball Seth Curry flashback: Curry overcomes injury to topple N.C. State

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Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we continue with guard Seth Curry.

No. 2: Curry scores 21 in the second half despite ankle injury to complete comeback over N.C. State.

The date: February 16, 2012

Curry overcame a left ankle injury to score 21 second half points and lead Duke's comeback over N.C. State.

Curry overcame a left ankle injury to score 21 second half points and lead Duke’s comeback over N.C. State.

The game: Duke 78, N.C. State 73

Curry statline: 26 points—21 in the second half—on 9-of-18 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

The breakdown: No. 4 Duke was in trouble at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils were lifeless on offense through the first half against the in-state rival Wolfpack. Duke went to the locker room at halftime trailing by 16 points with Josh Hairston the leading scorer at six points.

Seth Curry struggled to get into a rhythm offensively in the first half due to a left ankle injury he suffered just two minutes into the game. The injury cost Curry almost five minutes on the bench, but the junior guard shook off the discomfort to return to the court. With his ankle plaguing him, Curry shot just 2-for-7 from the field and scored five points in the first half.

Things didn’t get much better for the Blue Devils at the start of the second half. With 11:33 remaining in the game, Duke trailed by 20 points. Then Curry overcame his injury and checked back into the contest.

What happened next was an offensive clinic from the Blue Devil guard. Curry went off for 21 points in the second half on 7-of-11 shooting, including a timely 3-pointer after the final media timeout that brought his team within two points of the Wolfpack.

Curry’s fight combined with 16 Austin Rivers points were enough to help Duke overcome N.C. State and preserve their perfect home record.

The quote: “It was a heroic performance by Seth,” Krzyzewski said. “Seth said, ‘I don’t know if I can go’ [following the injury]…. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”

Previous Curry performances:

No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina

No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

No. 3: Curry pours in career-high 31 to defeat Santa Clara

Duke Basketball Seth Curry flashback: Curry scores Duke-career-high 31 against Santa Clara

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Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we continue with guard Seth Curry.

No. 3: Curry pours in career-high 31 to defeat Santa Clara

The date: December 29, 2012

Curry exploded against Santa Clara, scoring a Duke-career-high 31 points.

Curry exploded against Santa Clara, scoring a Duke-career-high 31 points.

The game: Duke 90, Santa Clara 77

Curry statline: A Duke-career-high 31 points—18 in the second half—on 12-of-18 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Curry also added three rebounds and an assist.

The breakdown: Things did not come as easily for No. 1 Duke against Santa Clara as the team expected, which set the stage for Seth Curry to have one of his most memorable games as a Blue Devil.

Playing for the first time in nine days due to the holiday vacation, Duke trailed for a large portion of the first half, and when the team was able to gain some separation and take a lead, the Broncos came storming back. The Blue Devils led by just two after the first 20 minutes of play.

For both teams, the second half was about getting the ball to their best scorers—Curry for Duke and Kevin Foster for Santa Clara.

With Mason Plumlee monopolizing the attention of the Santa Clara defense, Curry went to work. The senior guard had success both from beyond the arc and in getting into the paint, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and three layups during a 26-5 Blue Devil run. 

When the final buzzer sounded, Curry had set a new scoring high as a Blue Devil and Duke withstood the tough test given to them by the Broncos.

The quote: “We all know he’s capable of going for 30, it’s just nice to see him do that,” senior center Mason Plumlee said.

Previous Curry performances:

No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina

No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

Duke basketball Seth Curry flashback: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

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Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we continue with guard Seth Curry.

No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

The date: November 15, 2011

Curry's impressive all-around performance helped head coach Mike Krzyzewski secure his record-breaking 903rd victory.

Curry’s impressive all-around performance helped head coach Mike Krzyzewski secure his record-breaking 903rd victory.

The game: Duke 74, Michigan State 69

Curry statline: Curry goes 4-for-7 from the field—including a pair of 3-pointers—and hits 10-of-12 free throws to score 20 points and in helping head coach Mike Krzyzewski break the record for most wins in Division I history, surpassing his mentor Bob Knight. In an all-around effort, Curry led the team with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The breakdown: When the final buzzer rang in Madison Square Garden, it was not Andre Dawkins’ 26-point effort or Curry’s clutch free throw shooting that was discussed. Instead the only discussion was centered around head coach Mike Krzyzewski moving into the No. 1 spot on the all-time wins list. But Krzyzewski’s milestone would not have been hit if it weren’t for the performances of those two guards, which allowed for the Blue Devils to overcome early mistakes and defeat the Michigan State Spartans 74-69.

Early on in the contest, Dawkins kept the team afloat, with 14 first-half points, but Curry, behind a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the charity stripe, also managed to contribute to the Blue Devils’ offense.

Leading only 34-33 going into the half, Duke came out a more determined team in the second half, playing with a newfound confidence that led to an extraordinary offensive output.

With the Blue Devils leading 41-40 with 16:41 remaining, they went on a 20-1 run over a seven minute span, putting the game virtually out of reach for the Spartans. Curry knocked down a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws during this run, while also managing to come away with three steals.

Curry’s clutch free throw shooting was on display late, as he nailed 3-of-4 from the line under the final minute alone. Curry also pulled down a Duke career-high seven rebounds, an uncharacteristically large rebounding number for a guard.

In the final seconds, Curry secured his seventh rebound off a missed Draymond Green 3-point shot to end the game and solidify Coach K’s spot in history.

The quote: “It’s special,” said Seth Curry, who had 20 points and a team-high seven rebounds. “It’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life, and I hope college basketball will [too].”

Previous Curry performances

No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina