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As Duke embarks on this season, many questions hover over the team. Will they finally feature the post options? Is Quinn Cook going to seize his potential? How good can these freshmen be? Does Alex Murphy actually exist?
As the season goes on, the answers will become more concrete. Until then, all we can do is try to solidify our stances based on small sample sizes.
The Georgia State game is the proverbial warm-up game before the big showdown with Kentucky in Atlanta. Not expecting much of a challenge, the Blue Devils became experimental as if each new lineup set was some new chemically-engineered drug in the hands of a rager.
From the opening tip, the most obvious query was the whereabouts of Alex Murphy. Murphy was hailed in the preseason and summer as a starter and was presumed to fill a glaring hole at the 3 spot. Instead, he was benched the entire game.
Many theories can arise from this. Perhaps its gamesmanship on K’s part not to show UK their new secret weapon. (Incredibly unlikely as he started both preseason games and GSU isn’t much of a step up from those champions of lower divisions.) Perhaps Murphy missed a shootaround or practice? Perhaps he’s showing the same behavioral traits his brother Erik showcased his first two years at Florida. Whatever the reason, Murphy was visibly upset and K backed it up with a non-answer in the post-game presser. Feel free to toss on your tin hats and arrive at odd conclusions.
As far as actually game play, the first thing any Duke fan worth their weight in defense would notice is the new attitude of Quinn Cook as an on-ball defender. No longer a lost puppy on defense, Cook has forged himself into an aspiring bulldog on the perimeter as well commanding the team in the half-court offense.
Cook, who continues to be pushed by the basketball-IQ diety that is Tyler Thornton, has brought a new found ownership to the court, an attitude that was frankly only possessed by Austin Rivers last season. (The other attitudes bordered closer to entitlement)
Thornton, strangely jeered by many Duke fans for his lack of athleticism or flare, continues to show steady growth as a player. Twice last night he made no look passes on the fast break. A sign of more confidence from the junior point.
In fact, the passing as a whole last night was very sharp. Many times in the second half, the Blue Devils poked and prodded the defense with entry passes, skip passes, and offense-resets until ultimately finding an open shooter on the eighth or ninth pass of the possession.
This element of spacing and ball movement was something that was sorely missed last season as the main offensive set was either a Rivers ISO, Curry ISO, or Kelly corner three.
This was arguably the best takeaway from the game, as that kind of ball movement will lead to higher efficiency shots.
Of course, the highest efficiency shot is the PlumDunk. Mason Plumlee, who I thought would get 20 points and 15 boards going into the game, ended up with 19 and 14 as the offense, while very balanced among the post and perimeter, looked for him on every possession. Even when he wasn’t open, Plumlee was seen and given a chance to establish himself on the block before the guards worked the ball back around. Mason even connected on a 15 footer, a shot he attempted several times last year to low success.
With Mason looking like a viable post option that can carry the burden alone, that opens up the high post spot to space the floor more freely. Ryan Kelly and Amile Jefferson happen to be perfect fits for this role.
Kelly did well last night at the high post, hitting a shot from the elbow and opening up the low block for Mason. Georgia State chose not to double down on Plumlee, however, I saw that as more of a testament to knowing they couldn’t afford to leave one of the shooters wide open as the team was deft at nailing the open shots off of skip passes last night. Mason, at one point, found Sulaimon on a cross-court bounce pass from the other side of the paint (amidst three defenders no less). That kind of burn earns respect from the defense to prevent them from slacking off.
That is one of the biggest advantages to the “4 out, 1 in” set. See, the more sklled and mobile the center, the bigger the need to double down on him, which in turn opens it up for the offenses four shooters. It is the reason that Kelly’s injury last year hurt so much because without him, teams were able to double down on either Plumlee and negate that advantage.
For example, at the end of the first half, Cook set the offense, found Kelly in the right corner. Kelly, trying to feed Plumlee, was unable to get an entry pass through. Instead, he tossed a skip pass to Thornton in the other corner, allowing Plumlee to re-establish on the other block. Thornton dumped it down and Plumlee earned an “and one” in the isolation play on the low block.
That should be a typical offensive set for Duke this season.
Jefferson earned the Jamal Boykin role on this team as the consummate hype guy. Only Jefferson is 10 times the baller that Boykin was. His effectiveness around the rim is impressive for a skinny freshman that seeks contact on the block. His energy and communication, however, are equally as impressive. Perhaps more so when you spend a season desperately lacking both of those qualities. Maybe it’s a grass is greener thought. Whatever the reason, Jefferson fills a vital role for the team as a guy that can play either forward spot for spells and not take anything off the table on offense or defense. I’d even say he brings better defensive awareness and skill than Kelly. Makes you excited for the future.
Especially when you look at the other freshman, Rasheed Sulaimon.
Rasheed might end up as a top 15 pick based solely on his skill level, minutes, and weakness of the draft. The trade off of Rivers to Sulaimon was a net gain for Duke. While Rivers had an unparalleled driving ability and giant balls, Sulaimon gels with the team better and has a more useful skill set to the team. His strong ability to defend either wing slot, confidence in his shot, and willingness to make the extra pass makes him a better fit alongside Curry and Cook. Enjoy him Duke fans, kid’s got promise.
I could go on talking about the improvements and differences between last years team and this years team but we all know this is just one game. For me, and most Duke fans, consistent effort in ball movement, on-ball defense, defensive rotations, and looks to the post is what will set this team apart and take it to the next level.
I was able to watch some of the Maryland-UK game and I believe we have the ingredients to take out this Wildcat team as their starting 5 mirrors ours very closely (if we can assume Murphy comes back from the doghouse). In order to do so, Duke must continue to execute their play to the style of the second half against Georgia State.
As Duke embarks on this season, many questions hover over the team. Will they finally feature the post options? Is Quinn Cook going to seize his potential? How good can these freshmen be? Does Alex Murphy actually exist?
As the season goes on, the answers will become more concrete. Until then, all we can do is try to solidify our stances based on small sample sizes.
The Georgia State game is the proverbial warm-up game before the big showdown with Kentucky in Atlanta. Not expecting much of a challenge, the Blue Devils became experimental as if each new lineup set was some new chemically-engineered drug in the hands of a rager.
From the opening tip, the most obvious query was the whereabouts of Alex Murphy. Murphy was hailed in the preseason and summer as a starter and was presumed to fill a glaring hole at the 3 spot. Instead, he was benched the entire game.
Many theories can arise from this. Perhaps its gamesmanship on K’s part not to show UK their new secret weapon. (Incredibly unlikely as he started both preseason games and GSU isn’t much of a step up from those champions of lower divisions.) Perhaps Murphy missed a shootaround or practice? Perhaps he’s showing the same behavioral traits his brother Erik showcased his first two years at Florida. Whatever the reason, Murphy was visibly upset and K backed it up with a non-answer in the post-game presser. Feel free to toss on your tin hats and arrive at odd conclusions.
As far as actually game play, the first thing any Duke fan worth their weight in defense would notice is the new attitude of Quinn Cook as an on-ball defender. No longer a lost puppy on defense, Cook has forged himself into an aspiring bulldog on the perimeter as well commanding the team in the half-court offense.
Cook, who continues to be pushed by the basketball-IQ diety that is Tyler Thornton, has brought a new found ownership to the court, an attitude that was frankly only possessed by Austin Rivers last season. (The other attitudes bordered closer to entitlement)
Thornton, strangely jeered by many Duke fans for his lack of athleticism or flare, continues to show steady growth as a player. Twice last night he made no look passes on the fast break. A sign of more confidence from the junior point.
In fact, the passing as a whole last night was very sharp. Many times in the second half, the Blue Devils poked and prodded the defense with entry passes, skip passes, and offense-resets until ultimately finding an open shooter on the eighth or ninth pass of the possession.
This element of spacing and ball movement was something that was sorely missed last season as the main offensive set was either a Rivers ISO, Curry ISO, or Kelly corner three.
This was arguably the best takeaway from the game, as that kind of ball movement will lead to higher efficiency shots.
Of course, the highest efficiency shot is the PlumDunk. Mason Plumlee, who I thought would get 20 points and 15 boards going into the game, ended up with 19 and 14 as the offense, while very balanced among the post and perimeter, looked for him on every possession. Even when he wasn’t open, Plumlee was seen and given a chance to establish himself on the block before the guards worked the ball back around. Mason even connected on a 15 footer, a shot he attempted several times last year to low success.
With Mason looking like a viable post option that can carry the burden alone, that opens up the high post spot to space the floor more freely. Ryan Kelly and Amile Jefferson happen to be perfect fits for this role.
Kelly did well last night at the high post, hitting a shot from the elbow and opening up the low block for Mason. Georgia State chose not to double down on Plumlee, however, I saw that as more of a testament to knowing they couldn’t afford to leave one of the shooters wide open as the team was deft at nailing the open shots off of skip passes last night. Mason, at one point, found Sulaimon on a cross-court bounce pass from the other side of the paint (amidst three defenders no less). That kind of burn earns respect from the defense to prevent them from slacking off.
That is one of the biggest advantages to the “4 out, 1 in” set. See, the more sklled and mobile the center, the bigger the need to double down on him, which in turn opens it up for the offenses four shooters. It is the reason that Kelly’s injury last year hurt so much because without him, teams were able to double down on either Plumlee and negate that advantage.
For example, at the end of the first half, Cook set the offense, found Kelly in the right corner. Kelly, trying to feed Plumlee, was unable to get an entry pass through. Instead, he tossed a skip pass to Thornton in the other corner, allowing Plumlee to re-establish on the other block. Thornton dumped it down and Plumlee earned an “and one” in the isolation play on the low block.
That should be a typical offensive set for Duke this season.
Jefferson earned the Jamal Boykin role on this team as the consummate hype guy. Only Jefferson is 10 times the baller that Boykin was. His effectiveness around the rim is impressive for a skinny freshman that seeks contact on the block. His energy and communication, however, are equally as impressive. Perhaps more so when you spend a season desperately lacking both of those qualities. Maybe it’s a grass is greener thought. Whatever the reason, Jefferson fills a vital role for the team as a guy that can play either forward spot for spells and not take anything off the table on offense or defense. I’d even say he brings better defensive awareness and skill than Kelly. Makes you excited for the future.
Especially when you look at the other freshman, Rasheed Sulaimon.
Rasheed might end up as a top 15 pick based solely on his skill level, minutes, and weakness of the draft. The trade off of Rivers to Sulaimon was a net gain for Duke. While Rivers had an unparalleled driving ability and giant balls, Sulaimon gels with the team better and has a more useful skill set to the team. His strong ability to defend either wing slot, confidence in his shot, and willingness to make the extra pass makes him a better fit alongside Curry and Cook. Enjoy him Duke fans, kid’s got promise.
I could go on talking about the improvements and differences between last years team and this years team but we all know this is just one game. For me, and most Duke fans, consistent effort in ball movement, on-ball defense, defensive rotations, and looks to the post is what will set this team apart and take it to the next level.
I was able to watch some of the Maryland-UK game and I believe we have the ingredients to take out this Wildcat team as their starting 5 mirrors ours very closely (if we can assume Murphy comes back from the doghouse). In order to do so, Duke must continue to execute their play to the style of the second half against Georgia State.
