25% Through The Season

[bullcitygamer]

Devils Illustrated,

We are 25% through the season. The Blue Devils are 10-0, their best start to the season since the 2017-2018 season. At this point in the season, I have 3 questions for all of you, they are the following:

1) What grade would you give the Blue Devils?
2) What are your Positives of the team?
3) What Improvements would you like to see the Blue Devils make?

I'll start

A

Positives:

- Elite Defense
- Unselfishness
- Ball Movement
- Cohesiveness
- Mentally Strong
- 3 Point Shooting
- Physical & Hard Nosed
- Strong Top 6 in the Rotation

Needs Improvement:

- Defensive Rebounding
- Transition Defense
- Free Throw Shooting
- More Minutes & Bench Production from Sarr, Cayden, and Harris

Imo Duke has had 3 Tests (Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan State). I don't include Texas, because that was the first game of the season. Kansas is not included on my list, because they were missing Peterson. The Blue Devils are Further Along in the 1st quarter of this season compared to last season's team.

Right now I have Michigan, Arizona, and Duke as the 3 Best Teams in the Country. The Blue Devils have faced adversity in the 1st 10 games of this young season and they have Overcame the adversity thus far.

If the NCAA Tournament started today, I would say Duke's floor is the Elite 8 and their ceiling is National Champions. Hopefully, 20 or 30 games into the season, Duke's floor will rise to the Final 4 with their ceiling remaining National Champions.

Devils Illustrated, please let me know your answers to the 3 questions posed in this thread.

 

[christophero]

Definitely an A. I do not think we are better than last year but we don't have to be. Backcourt is a little shaky at times. Frontcourt is elite. We have been very lucky with no injuries.

 

[Mac9192]

I’d give it an A. None of us thought we’d be 10-0.

The positives: the team is unselfish, and our best player really knows how to play the game. I mean really knows how to play the game. We’ve had elite freshmen come in that could score, like Tatum, Bagley, and Barrett, but Cam is the total package. He has that IT factor. Not knocking those guys, but I’d take him 8 days a week over them. And up to now, Cooper was my favorite freshman.

I don’t really have a negative, just a few concerns. Which is the rest of the team. Will our guard play be solid in March, and will Khamenia be someone we can count on in the crunch? I also think Ngongba has to be really tough down low, and he’s taken a couple of questionable shots late in our last couple games. Shots that make you shout at the tv. But he is talented.

Anything we get positive from Cayden, Sarr, and Harris will be icing on the cake.

 

[pisgah101]

A+ and better through 10 games then we were last year through 10.
Free throws have to improve
D, effort, and unselfishness is impressive

 

[DukeFromNYC33]

A. An A+ means we win the national title.

The biggest positive I see is this team fights. Cam was rattled in the 1st half yesterday but he came back and dominated in the 2nd half. We bump cutters, we challenge at the rim, we set hard screens. Nothing comes easy against us.

I’d like to see a more free flowing and efficient offense. However, I think we get there. Last year our offense really took off in January and peaked in March when we became the #1 KenPom offense.
To get there we need Sarr to become reliable. If he can give us what Sion gave last year, we will go to another level. Consistently guard play is needed too. I love what Foster has done lately but let’s keep it up.

If Cedric Coward stayed with his commitment to us. We would be hands down more talented than last year, and that’s saying something.

 

[2 skerz 3]

I’d give it an A. None of us thought we’d be 10-0.

The positives: the team is unselfish, and our best player really knows how to play the game. I mean really knows how to play the game. We’ve had elite freshmen come in that could score, like Tatum, Bagley, and Barrett, but Cam is the total package. He has that IT factor. Not knocking those guys, but I’d take him 8 days a week over them. And up to now, Cooper was my favorite freshman.

I don’t really have a negative, just a few concerns. Which is the rest of the team. Will our guard play be solid in March, and will Khamenia be someone we can count on in the crunch? I also think Ngongba has to be really tough down low, and he’s taken a couple of questionable shots late in our last couple games. Shots that make you shout at the tv. But he is talented.

Anything we get positive from Cayden, Sarr, and Harris will be icing on the cake.

Whoa! None of us expected 10-0? We aren’t all negative, doom and gloomers around this ghost town.

 

[2 skerz 3]

A+ and better through 10 games then we were last year through 10.
Free throws have to improve
D, effort, and unselfishness is impressive

Yep! Super impressed with how coach Scheyer gets dudes to buy into winning games and more importantly buy into Duke basketball.

 

[Mac9192]

Whoa! None of us expected 10-0? We aren’t all negative, doom and gloomers around this ghost town.

No one thought 10-0. We all thought there would be a slight drop off from last season. That doesn’t mean we were negative, doom and gloomers, as you say.

I’m sure there’s a thread in the offseason to support this statement.

 

[sheyduke]

I’m going a different route . I’ll give them a B+. Here is my reasons .
Two games have been fairly close at the end and a lot was due to free throws and Dukes back court not helping .
the Front court is locked in but Khamenia is showing signs of progression but Sarr at this point needs to come off the bench . I don’t know if the college game is just moving to fast for him and is way more physical but his missed layups and dunks are head scratchers . Plus, he doesn’t look to make the extra pass he can make on a fast break .
Cameron, though he leads the team in steals has to be more aware of his foul situation. Two of his fouls were on reach ins and Big Pat and Brown already had three fouls a piece .
passing in the half court . How many times have we seen a pass in the half court from anyone not named Cameron and you’re asking yourself,” who are you passing it to? “ and it leads to an easy turn over going the other way .
ten games in and yes Duke is with out a loss but could have easily had two . I also don’t count Kansas because it was without Peterson but it was still a win .
Need Sarr to step it up, Khamenia to score some more( although his defense has been good for a freshman ) . Cayden and Harris to keep doing what they are doing when they get in the game .
we will see what’s worked on over the next couple of easy games leading up to Texas tech . Toppin will be a good cover for Khamenia and Sarr and their back court can flat out play especially Anderson .

 

[jamsession]

A. An A+ means we win the national title.

The biggest positive I see is this team fights. Cam was rattled in the 1st half yesterday but he came back and dominated in the 2nd half. We bump cutters, we challenge at the rim, we set hard screens. Nothing comes easy against us.

I’d like to see a more free flowing and efficient offense. However, I think we get there. Last year our offense really took off in January and peaked in March when we became the #1 KenPom offense.
To get there we need Sarr to become reliable. If he can give us what Sion gave last year, we will go to another level. Consistently guard play is needed too. I love what Foster has done lately but let’s keep it up.

If Cedric Coward stayed with his commitment to us. We would be hands down more talented than last year, and that’s saying something.

Dame and Wilkins wouldn't join the team. I'm ok with that.

 

[jamsession]

I could make an argument 25% through this season, Cam is better than Cooper. Cam is dominant.

 

[jamsession]

The team gets an -A. I need to see what can happen with foul trouble. What is the rotation if this happens?

 

[DukeFromNYC33]

The team gets an -A. I need to see what can happen with foul trouble. What is the rotation if this happens?

We were in foul trouble all Saturday in East Lansing. We have 3 bigs and all were in foul trouble.
The biggest benefit is how smart Cam is. Jon trusted him with 4 fouls with 8 min left to go. Going zone really helped too. Pat is good for a dumb foul or 2 per game, but I don’t think he’s fouled out yet this year.

 

[JimboSlice00]

Solid A for sure. I do have to agree with others that I don’t think anyone truly thought we would be 10-0. Through our 5 games against Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan State if we came out of that 4-1, it would be a success. To go 5-0 through that stretch is incredible, but it was fair to think it more than likely wouldn’t happen.

An A for me since Duke has arguably the best resume through the first month come selection Sunday.

 

[JustAfanatic]

I didn’t have a record in mind but I did talk all off season that Cams points + rebounds would be greater than Flaggs.

I also said we may lose more games this season than last but we might just accomplish more.

This team and the HC are not depending on one player like last seasons. Every crucial moment last season the ball was in Flaggs hands no matter what and our opponents knew it.

Cam is our best player but the ball is shared better.

It’s going to be a fun season, especially if the complimentary players continue to improve.

 

[The Only Blue]

I'm going with A-. Still don't trust our free throw shooting and at some point it's going to bite us. I said in the MSU GameDay thread that last year's team had better overall talent but this year's team has the "it" factor. We just have a bunch of guys that won't give you ESPN top 10 highlights but everyone brings their hard hats to the game every night and gets it done

 

[sheyduke]

I didn’t have a record in mind but I did talk all off season that Cams points + rebounds would be greater than Flaggs.

I also said we may lose more games this season than last but we might just accomplish more.

This team and the HC are not depending on one player like last seasons. Every crucial moment last season the ball was in Flaggs hands no matter what and our opponents knew it.

Cam is our best player but the ball is shared better.

It’s going to be a fun season, especially if the complimentary players continue to improve.

But , should Cam not come out and score his 16 points in the second and stay at only two like the first we are talking about a loss.
Duke does depend on one player. That’s Cameron in all aspects of the game . Duke doesn’t beat Florida or Michigan State if Cameron wasn’t scoring . He is also good for one dumb foul on a reach in .
just like last season , this season depends on more players stepping up and scoring in crucial times . Cameron gets his fifth foul at any point before the kick out for Fosters three and the game changes .
teams are following Evans closely and will continue to guard him and make the rest of the team not named Cameron score . That also includes in the front court .
Duke needs a third scorer to step up . To help keep the pressure off Evans and Cameron .

 

[AlanInNJ1]

We are blessed to have amazing talent and a coach who seems to be growing fast! A grade? I say A ish. I think Evans needs to be a little more consistent with his scoring. He's made a shot at the end of each of the last two games, but he needs to hit his open threes at a better clip, and I would love to see him drive the ball more. My biggest concern is guard play. Foster hit that big three and a couple huge FT's on Saturday, but that should not be an anomaly. As an upper classman, he has to make those shots. Little Boozer is coming along. I hope he grows leaps and bounds in ACC play. I would feel a whole lot better with a guard who is strong with the ball at the end of a game and shooting 90% FT's.

It's gonna be a fun ACC season! Let's go Duke!

 

[bullcitygamer]

But , should Cam not come out and score his 16 points in the second and stay at only two like the first we are talking about a loss.
Duke does depend on one player. That’s Cameron in all aspects of the game . Duke doesn’t beat Florida or Michigan State if Cameron wasn’t scoring . He is also good for one dumb foul on a reach in .
just like last season , this season depends on more players stepping up and scoring in crucial times . Cameron gets his fifth foul at any point before the kick out for Fosters three and the game changes .
teams are following Evans closely and will continue to guard him and make the rest of the team not named Cameron score . That also includes in the front court .
Duke needs a third scorer to step up . To help keep the pressure off Evans and Cameron .

My hope is Cameron gets going from the Opening Tip of the remaining games as opposed to waiting until 15 minutes have passed in the 1st half to get going. When Cameron gets the ball near the hoop so far it seems like no player can contain him one on one in the low block. Hopefully Saturday is the Spring Board Khamenia needs to Build Confidence. I think Khamenia can become Kon Lite.

Cameron and Evans are a Solid 1-2 scoring punch, if Duke can get Ngongba/Khamenia/Foster on any given night to be a reliable 3rd scorer that would ease the scoring load on Cameron and Evans. A good stat to see from Saturday was that all 9 guys scored in the game.

Someone on here said that the half court passing by the Blue Devils can sometimes be frustrating and they are right. Duke NEEDS to clean up the dumb turnovers, poor defensive rebounding, and poor free throw shooting, because all 3 of those bad habits will come back to bite Duke in the rear.

I won't say Cameron is More Talented than Flagg, but I agree Cameron at Duke has been More Dominant thus far. What I love about Cameron's Demeanor is you can tell he is A Competitor and Doesn't Want to Lose. A Competitive Mindset like that seems to be spreading amongst all of the Blue Devils including the Coaching Staff.

Coach Scheyer, his Assistant Coaches, Brown, Foster, Ngongba, and Evans learned from the loss in April and it shows.

 

[christophero]

We only had one player last year? Kon???

 

[JustAfanatic]

I didn’t state it but I meant end of game situations…..

Sorry

And i agree Cam is the man this year but we’ve had the ball in Evans hands late as well.

 

[bullcitygamer]

Great Content All! I am really enjoying reading everyone's view points.

 

[christophero]

I didn’t state it but I meant end of game situations…..

Sorry

And i agree Cam is the man this year but we’ve had the ball in Evans hands late as well.

Nah you're right. We let Cooper take the last shots. Probably should have been Kon. I like how Jon used Cam as a decoy so Evans was open.

 

[AlanInNJ1]

I have said it many times.......if we didn't have Flagg last year, Kon would have been in contention for NPOY honors.

 

[Mac9192]

We have to have multiple guys willing to take the shots when the game is in doubt. Boozer is the best player, but guys like Foster and Khamenia still need to be a little aggressive. We lost last season for a few reasons, one being that everyone in the arena knew the ball was going to be Cooper. The rest of the team basically froze, and became bird watchers.

 

[The Only Blue]

Nik played a heck of a game against MSU. Hopefully his good play will continue going forward since it seems he's planted himself as a starter. I'd be ecstatic if we can get around 10 and 5 with him, shoot 75% from the free throw line and 35-40% from 3.

 

[JustAfanatic]

We have to have multiple guys willing to take the shots when the game is in doubt. Boozer is the best player, but guys like Foster and Khamenia still need to be a little aggressive. We lost last season for a few reasons, one being that everyone in the arena knew the ball was going to be Cooper. The rest of the team basically froze, and became bird watchers.

That was the point I was trying to make……

That’s not true at end of games so far this season.

 

[sheyduke]

I also agree that guard play worries me as well.
if the guards can get going and stop some head scratching turnovers , this team is a legit threat .

 

[jamsession]

We only had one player last year? Kon???

Kon was more consistent than Cooper. Basketball politics had to go the Cooper way. And there is nothing wrong with that. I had no clue Kon would be a problem for our opponents.

 

[JimboSlice00]

Kon was great last year but make no mistake Cooper was our best player and had the best freshman season in Duke history.

 

[pisgah101]

But , should Cam not come out and score his 16 points in the second and stay at only two like the first we are talking about a loss.
Duke does depend on one player. That’s Cameron in all aspects of the game . Duke doesn’t beat Florida or Michigan State if Cameron wasn’t scoring . He is also good for one dumb foul on a reach in .
just like last season , this season depends on more players stepping up and scoring in crucial times . Cameron gets his fifth foul at any point before the kick out for Fosters three and the game changes .
teams are following Evans closely and will continue to guard him and make the rest of the team not named Cameron score . That also includes in the front court .
Duke needs a third scorer to step up . To help keep the pressure off Evans and Cameron .

Literally impossible to say this

 

[bullcitygamer]

a couple points to add

1) I don't think Duke can afford to have Cameron (obviously), or any of the following guys sustain a season ending injury: Evans, Ngongba, Brown, Foster. If any of these 5 get severely injured, it completely changes the Dynamic of the Blue Devils. Evans for his scoring and 3 point shooting, Ngongba for his inside game, Brown being the team's Best Interior Defender, Foster being the Point Guard and Duke's Best Perimeter Defender, Cameron of course being Duke's Most Talented & Dominant Player.

2) Has anyone been in contact with Hart or Bleed? I was thinking how I haven't seen them post on here this season. I hope they are both doing Fine!!

 

[The Only Blue]

a couple points to add

1) I don't think Duke can afford to have Cameron (obviously), or any of the following guys sustain a season ending injury: Evans, Ngongba, Brown, Foster. If any of these 5 get severely injured, it completely changes the Dynamic of the Blue Devils. Evans for his scoring and 3 point shooting, Ngongba for his inside game, Brown being the team's Best Interior Defender, Foster being the Point Guard and Duke's Best Perimeter Defender, Cameron of course being Duke's Most Talented & Dominant Player.

2) Has anyone been in contact with Hart or Bleed? I was thinking how I haven't seen them post on here this season. I hope they are both doing Fine!!

Bleed liked one of my posts on the MSU GameDay thread but don't remember him actually posting.

 

[christophero]

Bleed posted after MSU. Hart I haven't seen a while.

 

[sheyduke]

Literally impossible to say this

How so? He only had two in the first half and barely attempted scoring in the post . He was more of a facilitator and rebounder . So your saying even if he don’t hit 16 in the second Duke still wins ?

 

[Mac9192]

How so? He only had two in the first half and barely attempted scoring in the post . He was more of a facilitator and rebounder . So your saying even if he don’t hit 16 in the second Duke still wins ?

Would BYU have won had Dybantsa not scored 22 points in the 2nd half, or would UConn have won had Solo Ball not scored 19? All of the really good teams depend on their star.

I get the point you're trying to make. I think what we all want to see happen is Duke not be over reliant on Cam.

 

[sheyduke]

Would BYU have won had Dybantsa not scored 22 points in the 2nd half, or would UConn have won had Solo Ball not scored 19? All of the really good teams depend on their star.

I get the point you're trying to make. I think what we all want to see happen is Duke not be over reliant on Cam.

What I’m saying is Duke needs two more consistent threats to step up as scorers . Teams already know what Cameron will do so if you take away Evans and let’s say Foster, who else scores ? Sarr at this moment looks like he’s intimidated by the college game . He misses too many easy lay ups and Dunks. Khamenia shot looks good but hasn’t fallen as much as I’m sure he’d like , I think it’s safe to say Cayden is a pass first pg that can give you a couple points here and there. Brown is in for defense so anything the team gets from him is a plus, Big Pat scores on our backs and open passes in the post and the occasional 3. I don’t see any team really leaving Evans from the perimeter. Making him a driver is their best bet which he is getting better at that .
I like the Texas Tech game on the 19 . I think they will allow Boozer to score 30 as long as the the others aren’t hitting ten . Their back court is their strength and 1-3 will be a good test for Dukes 1-3 position .

 

[Mac9192]

What I’m saying is Duke needs two more consistent threats to step up as scorers .

That's exactly what several here are saying.

 

[sheyduke]

That's exactly what several here are saying.

I get Scheyer has been focusing on defense maybe they took this week off and are working on some offense .

 

[bullcitygamer]

What I’m saying is Duke needs two more consistent threats to step up as scorers . Teams already know what Cameron will do so if you take away Evans and let’s say Foster, who else scores ? Sarr at this moment looks like he’s intimidated by the college game . He misses too many easy lay ups and Dunks. Khamenia shot looks good but hasn’t fallen as much as I’m sure he’d like , I think it’s safe to say Cayden is a pass first pg that can give you a couple points here and there. Brown is in for defense so anything the team gets from him is a plus, Big Pat scores on our backs and open passes in the post and the occasional 3. I don’t see any team really leaving Evans from the perimeter. Making him a driver is their best bet which he is getting better at that .
I like the Texas Tech game on the 19 . I think they will allow Boozer to score 30 as long as the the others aren’t hitting ten . Their back court is their strength and 1-3 will be a good test for Dukes 1-3 position .

the TT game is on the 20th shey at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ESPN