Duke Blue Devils: Suffer loss to N.C. State, Continue to struggle
A week ago, I discussed how Duke is struggling to win games. Well, the saga continues. Last night, the North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Duke Blue Devils 84-82.
Dennis Smith, Jr. led all scorers with 32 points. Fellow Wolfpack teammates Abdul-Malik Abu added 19 points and nine rebounds along with Ted Kapita‘s 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Associate head coach Jeff Capel tweaked Duke’s starting lineup last night. Capel started Frank Jackson, Matt Jones, Jayson Tatum, Amile Jefferson and Marques Bolden. Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Harry Giles III came off the bench.
Kennard led the Blue Devils with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Tatum had 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Allen had 13 points (4 of 13 from field) and Jones had 11 points (4 of 11 from the field, 3 of 8 from three-point range).
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The Blue Devils lack continuity and team chemistry. Some of the Blue Devils play selfish basketball. Rather than get teammates involved, they try to take the game into their own hands.
Part of the problem is that Duke lacks an identity. In 2015, Duke was led by three star freshmen: Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Jahlil Okafor. The Blue Devils were tough inside and their guards were lights out from the perimeter. They were a well-rounded team.
Now, the Blue Devils have a collection of individual talent. At this point in a season, teams tend to begin their ‘gelling process.’ In other words, you start to see their progression towards being on one accord; ‘we’ instead of ‘me.’
Duke is trending downwards. They do not dominate their opponents as in recent years. Unless they turn things around, this season could be one of their worst ever. However, their decline towards obscurity this season can be eradicated by a few things.
One, run the offense through Luke Kennard. Kennard has been Duke’s best player this season. He ranks third in the ACC in scoring (19.75 points per game). In addition, he ties for third place in field goal percentage in the ACC (53%).
Moreover, Kennard should play no less than 35 minutes a game. The best player needs to be on the floor for the majority of the game. If he can average 20 points per game and makes half of his shots, then Kennard earned the title as the team’s leader. Running the offense through Kennard gives Duke an identity.
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Two, rely on the upperclassmen in Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson. Jones plays defense and hits shots when necessary. He plays both guard positions and does the things that do not show up statistical categories. Jones ranks fourth in steals in the ACC (1.9 per game). He averages eight points, three rebounds, two assists and 1.9 steals per game this season. Jones represents the ideal role player necessary any team to foster chemistry.
Jefferson plays defense, also. Both Jefferson and Jones are Duke’s best defenders. Jefferson second in rebounds in the ACC (9.9 rebounds per game). He ranks fourth in blocks in the ACC (1.6 blocks per game). When healthy, Jefferson is their best low post option. He is better suited as a five man in college, due to his play on the box.
The problem comes when consider who plays better alongside Jefferson. Tatum is a small forward who should stay at his natural position. He plays better on the wing. This leaves Giles, who is an inside-out player who has the ability to hit shots on the wing and low post.
Giles’ problem is his health. Coming back from two knee injuries. As a high school sophomore, Giles tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee. After the 2015-16 season, he tore the ACL in his right knee. When Giles is healthy, his skill set represents a problem for any opponent. Prior to his injuries in high school, his upside had no limit. Giles is a fraction of the player he was a few years ago. However, once he becomes full healthy, brace yourselves. In Giles defense, at 70% he remains much better than a lot of other basketball players.
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Three, do not allow Allen’s antics to foreshadow what Duke accomplishes. This season has centered around Allen’s tripping incidents and recently, his scuffles with opponents. In the N.C. State loss, Allen became tangled up with a Wolfpack player. This could have been avoided if Allen did not walk through their team’s huddle. Allen has been a distraction this season whereas he was more of a leader last season. The more he incites opponents, the more negative he is portrayed and on a bigger scale, Duke. Allen is highly talented. However, his immaturity casts a negative light on the team.
The Duke Blue Devils must right their ship in order to vy for the national championship this season. Duke’s schedule for the rest of the season includes games against No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 9 North Carolina (2), Clemson, No. 6 Florida State and No. 12 Virginia, Miami, Syracus, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest (2). All of these games feature tough matchups.