Assessing Duke after five games

[BlueDevilStop]

Thoughts on each player with game clips included.

Projecting the team moving forward.

What are your main takeaways after the first five games?

https://bluedevilstop.com/assessing-duke-through-the-first-five-games/

 

[christophero]

Hard to say. I think the next 2 games will tell a lot. The guards have shown promise and seem to be improving. Hurt has become a go to guy and Brakefield looks terrific. Was Notre Dame that bad or were we battle tested after playing MSU and Illinois? I would like to think Joey and Moore don't have season long slumps; we really need those two.

 

[BlueDevilStop]

Hard to say. I think the next 2 games will tell a lot. The guards have shown promise and seem to be improving. Hurt has become a go to guy and Brakefield looks terrific. Was Notre Dame that bad or were we battle tested after playing MSU and Illinois? I would like to think Joey and Moore don't have season long slumps; we really need those two.

Definitely going to need more from Baker and Moore. The ceiling for this team is capped significantly if this is the Wendell Moore Duke gets all season.

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

It’s difficult to say after only playing a few games. I was pleased to see our shooting and defense improve in the ND game, but I want Duke to get through a bigger sample size of games before making a determination, but if we can build off the ND game, and keep improving going forward, then obviously we should be fine. One of the biggest issues right now facing Duke, is we have to have Wendell show up. He doesn’t have to put up big numbers or anything like that. He just needs to contribute something. Right now, we aren’t getting anything from him. In the ND game, he missed several easy layups that a sophomore at Duke should not be doing. He also needs to work on better ball handling skills. He turns the ball over and commits unnecessary charges way too much. I know he will get it together and show up at some point. It’s just a matter of when.

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

Hard to say. I think the next 2 games will tell a lot. The guards have shown promise and seem to be improving. Hurt has become a go to guy and Brakefield looks terrific. Was Notre Dame that bad or were we battle tested after playing MSU and Illinois? I would like to think Joey and Moore don't have season long slumps; we really need those two.

It was very promising to see Roach knocking down shots last game. Hopefully that continues also!

 

[timo0402]

Roach has had a couple good games in a row, good to see. Hopefully he continues to play well which only builds his confidence. I’m hopeful him and DJ continue to play a lot of minutes together and build some solid cohesion. Would prove to be huge for next year.

Brakefield continues to impress and he and Hurt seem to play well together.

 

[nets on nets on nets]

The good: Hurt is playing confident and is gonna get us buckets all season.
-Brakefield is for real and is the hidden gem of last years class.
-Steward is a walking bucket.
-They aren't All-Americans, but I like what Williams/Tape have been able to provide.
-Goldwire got another steal as I was typing this. He is making all his lay-ups now too! And seems confident on the open 3's.

The Bad: Wendell is in a Jack White shooting slump, and to make matters worse he is turning the ball over at an alarming rate.
-Jalen Johnson and his injury. Will we see him back?
-Baker is playing really hard, but his shooting/defense isn't where it needs to be.

 

[bullcity gamer]

The good: Hurt is playing confident and is gonna get us buckets all season.
-Brakefield is for real and is the hidden gem of last years class.
-Steward is a walking bucket.
-They aren't All-Americans, but I like what Williams/Tape have been able to provide.
-Goldwire got another steal as I was typing this. He is making all his lay-ups now too! And seems confident on the open 3's.

The Bad: Wendell is in a Jack White shooting slump, and to make matters worse he is turning the ball over at an alarming rate.
-Jalen Johnson and his injury. Will we see him back?
-Baker is playing really hard, but his shooting/defense isn't where it needs to be.

pretty spot on JWill, however, imo I think Baker's defense has improved significantly from his first two seasons at Duke. Of course, his defense can continue to take another leap forward. I have been mostly impressed with his defense in the passing lanes.