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DURHAM -- If you happened to be playing some basketball at the Wilson Recreation Center at Duke this summer, you might have been one of the lucky ones. A group of Duke players might have approached and asked if you wanted to join them in a pickup game.

"We were struggling, trying to find guys to play," said sophomore swingman Gerald Henderson.

That's because the Blue Devils seemed to spend as much time in the operating room during the offseason as they did on the court. Five players have gone under the knife since last season -- Greg Paulus (left foot), David McClure (right knee), DeMarcus Nelson (left wrist), Martynas Pocius (right ankle) and Brian Zoubek (left foot).

"That's going to happen," said Paulus, a junior point guard. "We're just lucky it happened during the summertime and not the season."

All of the injured players except McClure were ready for Duke's first practice Friday evening. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said McClure, a junior forward, might get limited time on the court and was ahead of schedule in his recovery.

OH, CAPTAIN: After having three captains last season -- Nelson, Paulus and Josh McRoberts -- Duke is going with one this season: Nelson. It's not an indictment of Paulus, Krzyzewski said, but rather a change in the role the coaching staff wants the captain to play.

"I think the captaincy of our team wasn't elevated to the stature it should be, to the level it should be," Krzyzewski said. "It was diluted a little bit."

SINGLED OUT: Krzyzewski has never been shy about praising a freshman if he thinks praise is justified. Clearly, forward Kyle Singler has met that standard.

"Singler is really our most well-rounded player, even as a freshman," Krzyzewski said. "He's a kid that, if we started a game tonight, he would start for us. And everybody on the team would say, 'Good.' He's going to be a special player."

LONG SHOT: Is it possible that the school that showcased J.J. Redick's shooting might have a player with greater range? Check out Nelson's scouting report on freshman forward Taylor King.

"He can really shoot the ball, very consistently, from 30 to 40 feet out," Nelson said.

Thirty to 40 feet?

"He can pretty much take a step or two beyond half-court and consistently knock it down," Nelson said.

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jyoung@news-record.com