A lot of people have touched on it. I think we will be better because the offense will be much more similar to what a good offense looks like. There will be basic PnR action where if the defender goes under the screen, we have multiple guys who will be comfortable rising up and hitting the open 3, and if the defender goes over the screen, we have multiple guys who will be comfortable blowing by and breaking down the defense, and either finishing or kicking. If the defense switches on screens, we have multiple guys who can take advantage of matchups. This is the most fundamental and common offense used by good teams at the highest level. Every Finals game over the past few years has been, at the simplest level, nothing but a series of picks until the offense has the matchup they want, and then it’s the best offensive players making decisions with shooters all around them.
Duke had maybe two players who could run PnR or even drive effectively out of iso this season (Allen and Trent), but they had to deal with terrible spacing, as Bagley and Carter’s best value was to be near the basket. Duval was left open from 3 by all good coaches. Setting a pick for him would accomplish nothing; the defender would go way under and you’re left with a 27% 3pt shot or worse, since it’s off the dribble, which is a drag on Duke’s efficiency. Bagley may develop into the kind of player who can run PnR from the perimeter, but he’s years away at this point. Carter no. DeLaurier can’t dribble yet. O’Connell wasn’t trusted to be on the court.
Next year, Jones, Reddish, Barrett and even Williamson should be competent at this, and there shouldn’t be more than one guy clogging the paint. The coaches did what they had to do to have their best players on the court this year. Their best players should be able to run a normal offense next year.
On defense, just figure something out. You have 3 of the best, longest athletes in college basketball, along with a point guard who is known for good defense and a veteran center who is also long and athletic. If you really can’t figure out a good defense with these players, stop recruiting OADs. They won’t be any better than this.