Jaemyn Brakefield will enter the college ranks after being the 41st ranked player in the country according to 247Sports composite player rankings. The four-star recruit has a lot of upside and has a chance to make an immediate impact for Duke.
Brakefield is a big time athlete with speed in the open court and can makes plays above the rim. He may be the most athletic player Duke has on the roster for next season. In addition to his hyper-athleticism, he can stretch the floor with his shooting ability.
Brakefield will add size and versatility to Duke’s bench. At 6’8, 210 lbs, he also has a crafty handle which makes him very tough to defend. He has a very unique skill set which will provide an element off the bench that nobody else on the team can provide. Brakefield will be able to mesh well with any personnel Duke has out on the court.
Defensively, his ability to guard multiple positions will be key for Duke. He is an ideal candidate to take on the challenge of defending an opposing wing. His former coach, Matt Bloom, has talked about how he used Brakfield to defend multiple positions. Expect Coach K to utilize his defensive ability and have him defend multiple positions as well.
If Duke is need of adding explosiveness to a lineup, Brakefield is the perfect player to plug into the game. He is the kind of player who can come into the game and make a highlight reel play at any given time. Brakefield will be a guy who makes energizing plays for the team this season.
More so than arguably any other player on the roster, Brakefield can have great impact games due to his athleticism alone. Whether than be a chase down block or finishing high above the rim, Brakefield can make his presence felt simply due to being arguably the most athletic guy on the floor. And it does not hurt that he has a skilled game to complement the athleticism either.
When he is on the floor, offensively, he will be asked to score. While he shown the ability to create for others, Duke has plenty of guys to create for others this season, primarily Roach, Goldwire, and Johnson. Because of this plethora of options Duke has to generate offense for others, Brakefield is a perfect candidate to focus on scoring when on the court. He could be a guy Coach K looks to for scoring more often than expected.
Brakefield will play mostly the 3 or the 4 this year. He is versatile enough that he can play the three in bigger lineups or play the four if Duke wants to throw out more of a small ball look. His ball handling and shooting ability allow for him to seamlessly play small forward which is arguably his most natural position.
He could also make for a great power forward option along side someone like Mark Williams. He has shown a knack for grabbing rebounds, specifically on the offensive end of the floor, and this ability is just one factor makes him a natural option to play the power forward position as well. Having a player like this off the bench will be extremely beneficial for Duke.