Duke Basketball Won't Be Negatively Impacted By Losing Derryck Thornton

Reports surfaced earlier in the week from several sources stating freshman point guard Derryck Thornton would transfer, and fans and supporters of the Duke Blue Devils barely responded or blinked an eye. Truthfully, the majority of the attention surrounding the program went to star freshman Brandon Ingram deciding to leave Durham for the greener pastures of the NBA and sophomore guard Grayson Allen and his decision to stay. Many members of the Blue Devil fanbase are still basking in the North Carolina Tar Heels losing the NCAA championship game.

Honestly, it’s easy to see how you may have missed the news on Thornton. Duke already has a solid core heading into next season and will be adding the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the country for 2016. Thornton averaged 26 minutes last year while contributing a little over seven points and almost three assists per game.

Thornton had difficulty staying on the floor last year despite being the only real point guard the Blue Devils had on the roster. His hand may have also been forced by Allen’s decision to remain with the team and not enter the upcoming NBA draft, but Luke Kennard and Matt Jones will be returning as well. It was starting to look like Thornton wasn’t going to be seeing much playing time next year either.

Had the Blue Devils had depth last year and seen a few more breaks in a game or two, we may have seen them play in a few more games in the NCAA tournament. Next year will be here before you know it, and the depth won’t be a concern. Buckle up, because you may be looking at one of the favorites in the 2016-17 season.