A season ago, the Duke defense was limited in what they could do.  Not only did new NCAA rules limit their normally staunch defense, but the roster make up played a role as well.

Gone this year are Jabari Parker and  Rodney Hood who take their game to the NBA.  So how does that hurt this seasons team?  Plenty.  But they will be missed far more on the offensive end than on the defensive end.

Despite his tremendous skill set, Parker never was considered anything beyond a good defender.  He drifted outside a lot and being one of the Blue Devils bigger players, this left the paint vulnerable at times for the drive by opposing guards.

While Hood was certainly long, he too was not an especially great defender but was in no way a bad one.  I mean both these guys went in the first round for a reason.

What I am getting at is the fact that Duke could and likely should be a better defensive team.  It starts in the middle with Jahlil Okafor but it doesn't end there and we take a look at one could happen and how players might be used to better said defense.

Before I go further, let's remind ourselves that new NCAA rules which allowed much less hand checking and an emphasis on calling the charge more often, played a role as well.  But Duke has not had a season to adjust to that and the results will be better.

In Okafor, Duke has its first post presence since the days of Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, etcetera.  He's not going to make an excessive amount of blocks but he is going to position his sturdy frame properly and that will deter drivers more than a season ago.

"I don't think we've had that's as good as he is [Okafor].  "We feel he's the most unique freshman coming in the nation," said Duke Assistant Coach Nate James.

Another player who will be much improved on the defensive end is Marshall Plumlee.   The rising junior can move his feet and he is finally healthy.  The two big men will allow for the wings and guards to be more aggressive and press or trap more.

Staying up front, Amile Jefferson is all about length and he has worked on his upper body strength while his hip has been healing.  In these three true post guys, Duke can potentially, more than hold their own and that will be important against teams like ACC arch rival, North Carolina, a team that is deep up front.

The next player who has showed off-season improvement that will help on the defensive end is Semi Ojeleye.  This young man has a very muscular frame and is versatile.  I have seen first hand Ojeleye guard larger players.  The Duke staff is  looking for him to make the leap this year and play a role and his overall game provides some interesting possibilities with match ups.

Duke also brings in a wing in Justise Winslow, who is physically and mentally tough.  He's a "no quarter," type of player who will play hard and not back down from challenges.

"You have a freshman in Justise Winslow, who is strong and quick and can play multiple positions and that opens a lot of things up," said James of the prized freshman recruit.

Winslow, like the other Duke freshman has a strong basketball I.Q.  Young Justise invites contact and he likes contact and that's something a lot of players shy away form in today's game.

A season ago, Matt Jones earned his early burn more with his defense than anything else.  Coach Mike Krzyzewskis is on record as saying, he had a great teacher in his high school coach with concern to defensive fundamentals.

And then there is his fellow backcourt mate in a now seasoned and learned Rasheed Sualimon,  I have always thought Sulaimoin could be a great defender in that he possess some of the quicker feet on the team, but he needs to master being in the right place on the court.

There is no rational reason not to think either Jones or Sulaimon will not become better defenders.

Staying in the backcourt, the next guys defensive prowess may surprise you.  Grayson Allen is athletic and tough.  He doesn't back down from challenges. "He's a guy who can be a defensive stopper, he can put a lot of pressure on defense," said James.

The two remaining players are point guards Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook.  The lone senior Cook has gotten physically stronger in the off season and that should help him on the defensive end as should his added maturity.

In Tyus Jones, you have a guy that his only need for improvement I saw in multiple views would be his on ball defense.  But Jones is a worker and a listener.  What he did possess at the AAU level was an uncanny ability to smoothly play the passing lanes for steals.

When you add everything up, Duke will be improved on defense this season  and in my opinion, that comes from two main reasons.

Reason one would be their overall team depth.  Duke is seeking ways of getting guys on the court and that means they will seek to get maximum effort from the players when in the game.

Duke has balanced depth. Blue Devils can go big or small and or mix and match their lineups more than a season ago.  They will not lose a lot when substituting with concern to defense this season and that simply was not he case a season ago.

Duke has some certain starters, but past a point, there is less separation in talent and that means Duke may well play their entire roster much of the year.

With the new NCAA rules which favor the offensive side of the ball, Duke will never be quite the defensive juggernaut they have in years past.  At the same time, they can be as good as anyone but that takes my next reason.

The second  reason I feel the Duke defense will be improved is the fact that this years group is a team that listens.

"They all want to learn and they listen to what we have to say," said James.  He continued, "Our guys want to get better and they've worked to get that done.

With a mature freshman class, players working hard in the off season, their depth and the ability to listen and improve and you can see my point.  The Duke defense will improve this season.

One of the veteran players on the 2014-15 Duke Basketball roster will be rising junior Rasheed Sulaimon.  A season ago, Sulaimon took a minor step back early in the year in that it seemed he came into camp slightly out of shape.  That put him behind the curve and opened the door for some early minutes for true freshman Matt Jones.

This likely led to some adversity that Sulaimon had to handle and that's nothing new for Duke players.  In past seasons, other players have had to ride the bench as a freshman only to become a solid player if not leader once they accepted their role or made adjustments.

Sulaimon played a key role as a freshman at Duke, but his path took a minor detour last season when it took him a little time to adjust to his second season in the ACC.  But over time, Sulaimon regained his on the court burn and Jones faced a form of adversity as well in hitting that imaginary but oh-so real freshman wall.

"He's very dynamic and has grown up and we think he will continue to grow," said Duke Assistant Coach Nate James on Sulaimon,  The player often called "Sheed," by the fan base now knows what to expect and that he has to not only lead at times as an older player, but come into camp ready and with the proper mind set.

Going into last season, I actually envisioned Sulaimon as possibly being the third main option behind Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, who are now in the NBA.  But that never really came to fruition and there were times when Sulaimon looked as if his confidence had been shaken.

It's not like Sulaimon isn't a solid player nor that he has the ability to be a lead one in the Duke system.  "He's shown that he can score the ball and extend the ball as a defender," said James.

Sulaimon proved he could slash to the basket as a freshman, but last season he simply didn't finish as well and that was surely one of the things he worked on in the off-season.

With his footwork, Sulaimon can also potentially be one of the better Duke defenders and having guys like Jahlil Okafor behind him will allow him to commit to on ball pressure more than ever.

"Rasheed has been in big games.  He's scored, he's defended but now we'll look for him to be more consistent and do those things every day," said James.

That statement plays into what we spoke to earlier in that all the Blue Devils will be under scrutiny and challenged to take individual responsibilities on and off the court.

The hope is that Sulaimon rises to that challenge and not only plays the tried and true Duke way, but take it upon himself to teach the way that Mike Krzyzewski and his staff expects this years team to play.

Sulaimon has been through the wars of ACC play and national games and he understands that his role will be defined by how he plays early on more-so than other players.

Duke has exit interviews with their players at seasons end and at that time the staff sets forth off-season challenges.  I am certainly not privy to what has been said, but it makes sense to me that Sulaimon will come in ready to roll.

Last season, no other player on the court after the NCAA loss to Mercer, seemed more upset than Sulaimon.  It took a while for Sulaimon to round back into his game and he had been playing better late in the season.

To prevent that same feeling this coming year, Sulaimon must accept the challenges ahead and he will surely be a part of multiple rotations the Blue Devils will employ.

With Sulaimon, the Blue Devils can go big or small and that makes him a valuable player in this years system.