Just some observations

[Jake1985]

Duval
As good as he is, he still needs more time for it all to click. "Tricky Tre" is very good with the ball and highlights but when he slows down in the half court he over thinks and just seems to be unsure at times. He is definitely at his best when penetrating and dishing or going to the hoop. Again, although he's very talented, I still see him as a work in progress.

6th Man
Javin and Bolden are always talked about, but it's my opinion that Alex is identifying him as the key 6th man. When he comes in the game changes a bit. He has an outstanding basketball sense and carries a confidence with him. Very surprised by him this year and he is he guy that by year's end will win games for Duke.

There is a lot to be excited for and this team will continue to grow and get better. All of the Fr starters (and bench role players) have not achieved to their best ability yet and each have taken steps every game. This team is great to talk about in terms of potential.

 

[dukiejay]

I would agree on your assessment with Duval. He's been pretty good, IMO. A little frustrating at times, but he's up against a large learning curve, as are all the freshmen, despite how good they are individually.

We're probably going to need Alex to win a few games for us this season. And I don't mean late shots or going off for 20+ points. I mean more how Andre Dawkins won us a few games his freshman year, how Matt Jones stepped up against Gonzaga or what a freshman Grayson did at the end of the year (not just the Wisconsin game). He's going to have that game or games where he hits some big shots that might get us through a tough stretch. We know that right now this team lacks defensive prowess, but that's still a work in progress. Another thing we lack is scoring firepower from the bench. Javin and Marques are great, but they're not known scorers, or even expected to offer that. Alex can....and he's likely going to have to at some point(s).

 

[Jake1985]

^ agreed.

Bench scoring is an issue and it will be good to see what players step up.
- It was very interesting to hear Coach K's comments on JRob. He's not the defender or as athletic as Javin, but he has more ability to hit shots away from the paint. This is something I'll be watching.
- Will Alex be more assertive offensively? He has the ability to average 8-10ppg although he's not a primary option.
- Can Bolden & Javin collectively average 6 & 6. Would truly help bench production.
- Is Jordan G ceiling 5pts 3 assist?

It's obvious that Jack and Vrank are on the outside looking in as far as a role in the rotation. For either to get any play time foul trouble or situational needs are going to have to happen.

Jordan T's unknown injury has a lot of questions. He's has one of the best pure shots and can score which would surely help off the bench but he has definite areas to work on which seemingly have kept him from PT. Just a thought, but is this unknown injury and lack of PT a way for him to receive a redshirt...

 

[Mac9192]

Duval is the shakiest of the bunch. I hope he picks his spots when to attack, but first looks for the others to score. He wows you then makes me want to shake him.
Javin and Bolden scoring wise are more like clean up guys. I agree about O'Connell. I hope to see him play 10+ minutes a game going forward. I also like Goldwire for a few each half, but don't expect it though.
Each game going forward now are going to be tough, so I hope after the Christmas break, they get focused for FSU.

 

[GTHC_ GTH!]

My only real observation is that Carolina still sucks my balls and they suck at life. They also suck at playing Michigan State, suck at classes and really suck at home against Wofford.

 

[sheyduke]

Bench scoring and Defense.

Bolden, Javin and Carter all attempt to protect the paint and rim but would like to see Bagley be a little more assertive on that end.

Would like to see a little more scoring when the bench is in to help keep starters fresh and not more of an only “ Need to score” mode when they get back in the game.

 

[christophero]

I think O'Connell will be too good to keep out of the starting lineup next year. He is just too good. Then we could bring Javin or Bolden(if he returns) off the bench.

 

[nets on nets on nets]

I agree with the OP on Duval. He's great, but he has his flaws, and his flaws happen to be in the half-court offense and his shooting. He's no different than say Luke Kennards major flaw of not being able to keep a chair in front of him, Duval's flaws just happen to be much more noticeable.

We obviously need Duval to be great to get where we want to be, and I assume Duval is learning each day from K on how to lead a team.

Bench scoring I am not worried about, we have one of the most-efficient offenses ever, we have much bigger worries. Ultimately, we will need a scoring punch from Alex O, which has been stated already, and I have confidence he can provide that.

Not gonna beat a dead horse, the greatness of this Duke team will be determined on being able to play Team-Defense. Not on Duval, not on bench scoring, not on 3-point shooting. We figure out great team-defense, nobody can touch us.

 

[QC Dukie]

My only real observation is that Carolina still sucks my balls and they suck at life. They also suck at playing Michigan State, suck at classes and really suck at home against Wofford.

Don’t hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

 

[Tross282003]

I love Duval but Trae Young would have been awesome on this tream. The kid has 28 and 12 assists just barely through the first half against Northwestern and he can shot the ball from 30 feet and is a dynamic passer. We would be invincible with him on this team.

 

[LouisiAaron]

I love Duval but Trae Young would have been awesome on this tream. The kid has 28 and 12 assists just barely through the first half against Northwestern and he can shot the ball from 30 feet and is a dynamic passer. We would be invincible with him on this team.

He definitely would not have been good for this team. We didn’t need a scorer at point guard. We needed a defender and facilitator. We have enough scoring. That’s like having Frank Jackson all over again but times 10. Not saying Frank was bad but he was a score first guard

 

[Jake1985]

Duval has all tools that Duke needs as their PG. He just needs to have more of a feel for the game in the half court sets. That should come in time.

Not his shot, well, that is a work in progress and hopefully he and the staff work on it daily so he can be more consistent.

 

[ncaa9636]

I agree with the OP on Duval. He's great, but he has his flaws, and his flaws happen to be in the half-court offense and his shooting. He's no different than say Luke Kennards major flaw of not being able to keep a chair in front of him, Duval's flaws just happen to be much more noticeable.

We obviously need Duval to be great to get where we want to be, and I assume Duval is learning each day from K on how to lead a team.

Bench scoring I am not worried about, we have one of the most-efficient offenses ever, we have much bigger worries. Ultimately, we will need a scoring punch from Alex O, which has been stated already, and I have confidence he can provide that.

Not gonna beat a dead horse, the greatness of this Duke team will be determined on being able to play Team-Defense. Not on Duval, not on bench scoring, not on 3-point shooting. We figure out great team-defense, nobody can touch us.

 

[ncaa9636]

100% agree. How far this team goes depends entirely on how much they embrace the defensive part of the game.

 

[Tross282003]

He definitely would not have been good for this team. We didn’t need a scorer at point guard. We needed a defender and facilitator. We have enough scoring. That’s like having Frank Jackson all over again but times 10. Not saying Frank was bad but he was a score first guard

Trae leads the nation in assists with close to 11 a game and doesn’t turn the ball over. Frank Jackson was an explosive undersized shooting guard that had little to vision and questionable handles. Trae is not that explosive but is fast has tremendous vision. Defenses can’t sag off of him. Our spacing on offense would be amazing. Duval has great handles and is more explosive but has issues shooting the ball and makes questionable decisions. Defenses can sag off of him and concentrate on stopping Allen and Trent jr.

 

[skysdad]

Duval has all tools that Duke needs as their PG. He just needs to have more of a feel for the game in the half court sets. That should come in time.

Not his shot, well, that is a work in progress and hopefully he and the staff work on it daily so he can be more consistent.

Just happy to have him. OFC

 

[Dattier]

I love Duval but Trae Young would have been awesome on this tream. The kid has 28 and 12 assists just barely through the first half against Northwestern and he can shot the ball from 30 feet and is a dynamic passer. We would be invincible with him on this team.

He leads the nation in assists and you can't guard him 30 feet from the basket.

Trae leads the nation in assists with close to 11 a game and doesn’t turn the ball over. Frank Jackson was an explosive undersized shooting guard that had little to vision and questionable handles. Trae is not that explosive but is fast has tremendous vision. Defenses can’t sag off of him. Our spacing on offense would be amazing. Duval has great handles and is more explosive but has issues shooting the ball and makes questionable decisions. Defenses can sag off of him and concentrate on stopping Allen and Trent jr.

 

[QC Dukie]

I don’t worry about other players. I’m happy with the ones we have

 

[LouisiAaron]

Trae leads the nation in assists with close to 11 a game and doesn’t turn the ball over. Frank Jackson was an explosive undersized shooting guard that had little to vision and questionable handles. Trae is not that explosive but is fast has tremendous vision. Defenses can’t sag off of him. Our spacing on offense would be amazing. Duval has great handles and is more explosive but has issues shooting the ball and makes questionable decisions. Defenses can sag off of him and concentrate on stopping Allen and Trent jr.

It's about fit. Trae Young would not fit with this lineup. Trae wants to be the man. You're not looking at his numbers below the surface though. Young has the second highest usage light in the country. He always has the ball in his hands so he should put up stats like this. He has one of the brightest greenlights as a point guard that I've seen in awhile in college. If Duval had that high of a usage rate he would average 12+ assists easily. Duval just need about 8 shots a game and he's find passing and playing defense. He's perfect for this Duke team. We don't need anyone stealing shots from Bagley, Carter and Graysonn

 

[Showenuff]

Trae may end up that player that his entire team sits back and watches while they lose the big game.

 

[SoCal_Dukie3]

I don’t worry about other players. I’m happy with the ones we have

I'm happy with the players Cal and Roy didn't want (and we now have).

 

[df64]

Here is what I want to see. In the half court, the ball goes into the post every possession. If that entry is well defended, it gets passed out instead of Bags or Wendel forcing a shot. We then re-post at least once if not twice more. We have the talent to make spectacular plays on offense, but we also have enough talent that we should not have to rely on spectacular plays. We should be able to get easier shots. As Bobby Knight often says, we can get a decent shot (3 or a well defended interior shot) any time. If we take one of those decent shots, it should only be after the other team has had to bust their butts defending us for 20+ seconds and we have focused on getting a better shot. If Tre can facilitate this, we will be almost unguardable and Tre will be a great point guard.

 

[nets on nets on nets]

Trae leads the nation in assists with close to 11 a game and doesn’t turn the ball over. Frank Jackson was an explosive undersized shooting guard that had little to vision and questionable handles. Trae is not that explosive but is fast has tremendous vision. Defenses can’t sag off of him. Our spacing on offense would be amazing. Duval has great handles and is more explosive but has issues shooting the ball and makes questionable decisions. Defenses can sag off of him and concentrate on stopping Allen and Trent jr.

Trae Young also plays ZERO defense. Duval is the Duke PG, give me him any day of the week. All Trae Young would do is steal shots from Marvin, Wendell, Grayson, and Gary.

 

[Dattier]

Here is what I want to see. In the half court, the ball goes into the post every possession. If that entry is well defended, it gets passed out instead of Bags or Wendel forcing a shot. We then re-post at least once if not twice more. We have the talent to make spectacular plays on offense, but we also have enough talent that we should not have to rely on spectacular plays. We should be able to get easier shots. As Bobby Knight often says, we can get a decent shot (3 or a well defended interior shot) any time. If we take one of those decent shots, it should only be after the other team has had to bust their butts defending us for 20+ seconds and we have focused on getting a better shot. If Tre can facilitate this, we will be almost unguardable and Tre will be a great point guard.

I don't even have to say it, do I?

 

[QC Dukie]

I'm happy with the players Cal and Roy didn't want (and we now have).

Very true SoCal

 

[df64]

Our Tre will be fantastic in our offense if he doesn't force things and the rest of the guys don't get lazy and take the first decent shot that presents itself.

 

[LetsGoDukies]

Here is what I want to see.. team defense! Forcing the opposing team to take tough shots every possession! Outrebounding the opposing team on both ends. If we do these 2 things then we win.. our offense is plenty good enough!

 

[Swervin_Irvin_Duke]

Look i am not trying to hate on lil Trae but "eff it" i am going to hate on lil Trae Young rofl. Seriously though i applaud him for getting 30 and 22, that is nothing short of amazing in college bball. BUT I must see him do that against top teams to say he is even worth a lottery pick right now. Duval has been taking his lunch from him and eating it at his dinner table since high school. I'll hold my final judgement after the Kansas game. See how he does against Devonta Graham.

 

[Mpm277]

It's weird how when we have a player who's really good, we talk about how great he is. And, often times, when a player is really good on another team we downplay how good he actually is or how he would actually hurt our team. I get it's about fit but it's also okay to just be fans of another kid's game. We've also had players that the rest of our team would just sit and watch either win or lose games for us.

 

[Jake1985]

Duval has a lot of games in front of him to develop. Now that ACC play is here, he will face so very good PG's where he will not only have to handle the ball but make good decisions and play D.

 

[dukiejay]

It's weird how when we have a player who's really good, we talk about how great he is. And, often times, when a player is really good on another team we downplay how good he actually is or how he would actually hurt our team. I get it's about fit but it's also okay to just be fans of another kid's game. We've also had players that the rest of our team would just sit and watch either win or lose games for us.

Good post.

I’m very happy with Trevon because he chose to be at Duke. There’s a learning curve for all players....sometimes it’s a little steeper for one than another.

 

[LouisiAaron]

It's weird how when we have a player who's really good, we talk about how great he is. And, often times, when a player is really good on another team we downplay how good he actually is or how he would actually hurt our team. I get it's about fit but it's also okay to just be fans of another kid's game. We've also had players that the rest of our team would just sit and watch either win or lose games for us.

And we never win when we have players like that. Trae is an exceptional player. Just don’t think he will fit with Duke. We have the right guy for what our team needs

 

[nets on nets on nets]

Throw Trae Young on this team and we run into the same problem as last year, too many chefs but no one that can provide the ingredients.

Ultimately Duval is gonna be perfect for this team, he has the tools to be a defensive force, and that's exactly what we need.

 

[DukeDenver]

Can’t we just have Trae and Tre? I’ll take both.

 

[Mpm277]

And we never win when we have players like that. Trae is an exceptional player. Just don’t think he will fit with Duke. We have the right guy for what our team needs

I'm not really even comparing Trevon and Trae. And maybe Trae totally wouldn't fit here, but I think there is often times a bias involved when people say certain players wouldn't fit in our system or team as they've already chosen a different team. If he were on our team, and if it were a situation where most of our other players just watched him win or lose games for us, I think many fans would hesitate to say "he doesn't fit here" and instead say things like "he can't do it all himself and he needs help from other guys who need to step up."

 

[nets on nets on nets]

I'm not really even comparing Trevon and Trae. And maybe Trae totally wouldn't fit here, but I think there is often times a bias involved when people say certain players wouldn't fit in our system or team as they've already chosen a different team. If he were on our team, and if it were a situation where most of our other players just watched him win or lose games for us, I think many fans would hesitate to say "he doesn't fit here" and instead say things like "he can't do it all himself and he needs help from other guys who need to step up."

Trae Young right now is a better basketball player than Trevon Duval.
Trae Young is NOT a better fit for THIS Duke basketball team than Trevon Duval. We don't need our PG to score 30 a game, we need our PG to play great defense (Duval is MUCH better than Young at defense) and we need our PG to get the ball into our scorers hands (debatable as to who the better passer is.)

Everything else that Duval gives us is extra, scoring in transition, going coast to coast after a steal, etc.

 

[Mpm277]

Trae Young right now is a better basketball player than Trevon Duval.
Trae Young is NOT a better fit for THIS Duke basketball team than Trevon Duval. We don't need our PG to score 30 a game, we need our PG to play great defense (Duval is MUCH better than Young at defense) and we need our PG to get the ball into our scorers hands (debatable as to who the better passer is.)

Everything else that Duval gives us is extra, scoring in transition, going coast to coast after a steal, etc.

I mean, that may all be true. But, again, I never made a claim that Trae is a better fit here than Trevon.

 

[Dattier]

I think there is often times a bias involved when people say certain players wouldn't fit in our system or team as they've already chosen a different team.

 

[Mpm277]

To be fair, some people don't seem to see this.

 

[Dattier]

To be fair, some people don't seem to see this.

I think it's more like we're having two different conversations. Are we drafting guys for a fantasy league or dancing with who brung us?