There was a time two or three years ago -- otherwise known as a generation in college basketball -- in which it seemed as if coach John Calipari could pick and choose whatever one-and-done prospects he liked to form his team. There was always something untoward in that the excellent recruiting at Kentucky did not seem completely legitimate.

Now, that time is over and coach Mike Krzyzewski and Duke have taken over top-shelf recruiting. For whatever reason, Coach K is leading this recruiting drive and not being painted as anything but a basketball saint. Perhaps Calipari broke the mold. Whatever the reason, Duke has once again collected a nearly unbelievable recruiting class to replace last year's recruits (Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter, Gary Trent Jr.) who have moved on to the NBA. While it would be tempting to think that Duke can keep this recruiting run alive, the fact that coach Jeff Capel has moved to Pittsburgh may have some effect. For now, let's take a look at the top three players (also known as the top three recruits in the eyes of many recruiting services) and see how they might fit together.

Zion Williamson, F, (6-7, 285)

While leaping and strength are important aspects for basketball players, rebounding is also a matter of having good hands. Williamson looks like he can clean the glass on both ends of the floor and will not have much trouble handling alley-oop passes from his teammates. For such a big player, Williamson has excellent ball handling skills and can hit open teammates when he drives to the basket. In high school, the power forward did not shoot from the perimeter much, but his shooting stroke looks relatively smooth and he can knock down 3-pointers when left open.

While Duke may start Marques Bolden at center, Williamson will be the main man in the paint for the Blue Devils. The freshman has enough strength to counter opposing bigs. He will be a problem matchup on offense due his athleticism. Bolden and sophomore Javin DeLaurier should get minutes at center, but it would not be surprising to see Coach K go with his trio of freshmen in crunch time with the traditional bigs hitting the pines. Take a look at what Williamson did to (Ned) Ryerson College in his first exhibition game as a Blue Devil.

R.J. Barrett, G/F, (6-7, 202)

As shown below in the highlights against the United States in the FIBA World Cup, Barrett can dominate. In the game, the 6-7 forward led the Canadians to victory with 38 points, 13 boards, and five assists. Canada would win the tournament and Barrett was named Most Valuable Player. He was the top scorer in the tournament with 21.6 points.

While Barrett will have to share the spotlight with Williamson and Reddish, he should be the team's leader in scoring and playmaking. Fellow freshman Tre Jones will likely start at point guard, but Barrett should lead the team in assists. Barrett will face more resistance in ACC play, but he has already shown that he can compete with the best in the world in his age group.

Cam Reddish, G/F, (6-8, 218)

Like Barrett, Reddish is another oversized guard who can get to the basket. He can use his size to shoot over opponents, but also has a wide variety of handles to penetrate. All three freshmen will need to refine their outside shots to take advantage of the 3-point line, but calling perimeter shooting a weakness for any of them would be nitpicking. While Reddish is better at attacking the rim, he should be able to hit treys when open.

Reddish has been dealing with a sports hernia that caused him t miss out on the USA Basketball U-17 roster as well as the first game on the Canada trip. The Blue Devils are probably just being cautious, but the injury should be monitored and may keep Reddish's minutes somewhat low to open the season. Duke will not need him against most of its non-conference opponents. He should have plenty of highlights -- such as those seen in the Jordan Brand Classic below -- when he does return.