All-time Duke starting five

The Duke Blue Devils have seen more than their fair share of generational talents.

Whether it be a player who was one and done, going straight to the NBA, or someone who brought years of success to the program; Durham may have seen the most raw talent of any college program ever.

But out of all the greatness, who would fill up a starting roster?

PG: Johnny Dawkins

Standing 2nd all-time in Duke scoring history, Dawkins was one of the pioneers of getting the program the notoriety it has today.

In his career, he averaged 19.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

A 2x All-American and the first Naismith winner from the program, Dawkins may have never seen a title with the team but forged the path for the team’s future success.

SG: J.J Redick

Debateably the greatest Duke guard of all time, and undoubtedly the greatest Duke scorer of all time, Redick was one of the first true flamethrowers from behind the arc in college hoops.

He was showered with accolades during his time including a Naismith award, 2x All-American, 4x All-ACC, 2x ACC Player of the Year and more.

His 2,769-point scoring record may stand unbroken for long in advance.

Reddick averaged 19.9 points on 43.3% FG% and 40.6% from three, and in his senior year put up a ridiculous 26.8 PPG.

SF: Grant Hill

Being a key piece to winning two titles as a freshman/sophomore alongside fellow all-time player Christian Laettner, Hill was what every coach dreams of having in a small forward who is the jack of all trades, does anything you need him to and does it perfectly.

Did you want offense? He’ll get you 20 points any night you need him to.

Do you need more defense? Hill would effectively turn the game into a 4v5 for the other team.

With the athleticism to match, he gave the world a preview of what he was capable of far before his years in the NBA.

PF: Zion Williamson

People love to throw the term “generational talent” around way too loosely these days. Since 2010, I would say there’s been two. One is Victor Wembanyama, and the only one to ever step foot on a college court is Zion Williamson.

In his one year at Duke, he averaged 22.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and four stocks on nearly 70% from the field, earning him almost every individual accolade possible in that time.

No one had ever had his mix of size, speed, and athleticism, not even LeBron. A walking tank with a 40+ inch vertical.

C: Christian Laettner

The most notorious supervillain in college basketball history was so because of how good he was, and how much better he’d get once March rolled around.

For two years Laettner torched teams in the tournament game after game and made people hate him the entire time, not a soul could do anything about it though.

Of course, there’s also his game-winner against Kentucky in the 1992 Elite 8 game, where he shot a perfect 10/10 from the floor and 10/10 from the line.

While he may not have had the monstrous stats as the other guys on this list, Laettner was by far the biggest winner in Duke history.

Chris Vadnais is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cmv5562@psu.edu.