"Matt’s going to be all right but his hamstring started to tighten up and we’re just not going to take a chance"—K:
chron.it/2ffOhhy
chron.it/2ffOhhy
***EXHIBITION GAME - DUKE VS. VIRGINIA STATE***
- Thread starter dukehokie
- Start date
Steve wiseman has a bunch of tweets explaining the above... sorry my phone is acting up or I'd share them
You can watch the replay on Watch ESPN. Click on ACC Network, then replays.
Looks like Bolden is our center if we go with a center at all. Otherwise, it will be Giles, Jefferson, and Tatum when all are healthy. Ton of flexibility and depth if we get healthy. Really like Bolden's and DeLaurier's defense and shot blocking. I totally agree with a bunch of you guys on Luke. He is going to be an assassin on the offensive end. I also like how White and Javin don't sit around and become spectators like a lot of young guys who aren't supposed to get much time do when they get in. They get after it on both ends.
Sure hope Matt and Grayson are ok.
Looks like Bolden is our center if we go with a center at all. Otherwise, it will be Giles, Jefferson, and Tatum when all are healthy. Ton of flexibility and depth if we get healthy. Really like Bolden's and DeLaurier's defense and shot blocking. I totally agree with a bunch of you guys on Luke. He is going to be an assassin on the offensive end. I also like how White and Javin don't sit around and become spectators like a lot of young guys who aren't supposed to get much time do when they get in. They get after it on both ends.
Sure hope Matt and Grayson are ok.
I don't think there's any question that Bolden is our center and will be in the starting lineup. He really impressed me tonight. A backcourt of Grayson and Luke is going to put up a lot of points this season.
Luke was playing crazy aggressive last night while Grayson seemed to not really attack much. Bolden was impressive and having any combination of him, Amile, and Giles on the court will give is great size and talent under the rim on both ends. The role of pg is still very much a work in progress and it'll be interesting to see how we handle it when we play Kansas.
New poster here. I've been a Blue Devil fan since I first picked up a basketball. I watch every game I can and am nuts about keeping up with updates. Couple things I noticed last night:
1.) it's going to be hard to keep Luke on the bench for any extended minutes. I like Matt Jones, but Luke is a far more gifted player that brings more to the table.
2.) Chase Jeter is still a bit soft and doesn't play his size. He also still seems to have issues holding on to the ball!
3.) I hope K gives Javin time when Tatum and Giles come back, that kid has the potential to be one hell of a spark plug.
4.) Bolden looks good, still needs to get stronger but I think he's going to a big defensive prescence in the middle.
5.) What the hell is with the injury bug going through this team??
Just my two cents. Seems to me there are some pretty educated Duke fans on this board and like to see what you guys write on here. Btw, this team is good, but can we get rid of the notion that they are going to go undefeated? It's not going to happen!
1.) it's going to be hard to keep Luke on the bench for any extended minutes. I like Matt Jones, but Luke is a far more gifted player that brings more to the table.
2.) Chase Jeter is still a bit soft and doesn't play his size. He also still seems to have issues holding on to the ball!
3.) I hope K gives Javin time when Tatum and Giles come back, that kid has the potential to be one hell of a spark plug.
4.) Bolden looks good, still needs to get stronger but I think he's going to a big defensive prescence in the middle.
5.) What the hell is with the injury bug going through this team??
Just my two cents. Seems to me there are some pretty educated Duke fans on this board and like to see what you guys write on here. Btw, this team is good, but can we get rid of the notion that they are going to go undefeated? It's not going to happen!
Welcome to the board. Nobody here EVER says we will go undefeated, maybe you heard that somewhere else. Do you read Rupp Rafters a lot?
Not one Duke fan anywhere has said we will be undefeated. We play in the top league in the nation, which might put ten or eleven teams in the tournament. You could only go undefeated if you play in a weak conference, like the SEC. We will lose several games, which is perfectly fine (teams get a wake up from a loss sometimes) as long as we win the last game.
Agree with your 5 points. I don't know how you don't have frank, grayson, and Luke as the 3 guards getting the majority of minutes. I just don't see where Matt fits in for extended minutes when this team is healthy.
Undefeated talk, who cares about undefeated (unless it happens
). But do know you're making this comment when duke's 2 most talented players (maybe frank is one of the most talented as well) were not playing. Also, Chase was getting a lot more minutes then he will see when the team is healthy. I don't take much away from this game other than knocking off the rust is good especially for amile, he struggled a bit offensively and tried to do too much it felt like.Welcome to the board! Not going to call you out for saying the thing about going undefeated...Its entirely possible you saw it somewhere, as a lot of lofty expectations have been placed on our boys. That being said I totally agree w/you and others- its simply not possible in my estimation given parity in college hoops...
OFC
I agree wth your points on Matt but K loves seniors who have been around the block. Matt will play a lot of minutes for this team.Agree with your 5 points. I don't know how you don't have frank, grayson, and Luke as the 3 guards getting the majority of minutes. I just don't see where Matt fits in for extended minutes when this team is healthy.
Undefeated talk, who cares about undefeated (unless it happens
I'm scared that I might agree with you, but I struggle to see how. The only way I see Matt deserving solid minutes if we're healthy (based on play) is if duke goes small with Tatum at the 4. That would mean we have 4 guards to play 3 positions, so he would get a large amount of minutes. But tatum at the 4 means you have 2 positions to split up minutes between, tatum, giles, bolden, and amile. I personally think our best lineup when healthy any chemistry is Frank or Luke or Grayson at the 1 and 2, then tatum at 3, then giles or amile or bolden at the 4 and 5.
Thats a 7 man rotation, and you sprinkle in Matt, Chase, and Javin where needed.
K loves Matt, no question and if he's healthy he can return to being the lockdown defender we know, and bounce back from a down year.
However once Tatum returns, given Luke's emergence its going to be hard to keep Kennard off the floor!
Matt's best contribution to this team WHEN HEALTHY, is sparkplug off bench!!! He can still be extremely valuable as a lockdown defender when he's 100 percent. However I am merely a fan, and K sees it much better than I....I also know he loves Matt.
I am reminded of the 2nd half of the UNC game at Chapel Hill last year... That group on the floor with Matt Jones rousing leadership and will to his teammates from the bench was the VERY BEST tonic for that win...Kennard hit some shots I dont know if Matt nails in that game....Do not GET ME WRONG! We need a healthy Matt Jones for his D, his DIRTY WORK, LEADERSHIP, I simply think we have some more talented players deserving of more minutes this year-
OFC
Just an opener exhibition game but there were observations to be made. One of my BIG concerns was Bolden, in many HS games he was lethargic, didn't get down the court very well and seemed a bit disinterested at times. I was super happy to see his hustle last night. He's going to block or alter a TON of shots this season. I felt like in the off season that Luke would really break out this season and he definitely looks to do that. I like his cool demeanor and decision making with the ball. I think Grayson has got to realize he doesn't have to be THE scoring option every possession. I honestly think once he realizes that he'll be great. He's not going to be a 22 ppg guy this year, I'll lean more towards 14 really and that will be great considering the scoring options we have on this team.Frank Jackson. Oh my. Now I know some of you, and I know you were absolutely freaking out over some of the turnovers he committed. They were ugly. But take a long look at this young man. He was over excited last night, I know he has a better handle than that , I've seen it. But how about that explosive first step? The perimeter shot is silky smooth and confident and his on ball d is nice as well. I love this kid. 17 pts, not to shabby. I don't know if or even when it could happen, but if Giles and Tatum end up healthy and in this lineup, it's almost scary to think what this team is capable of.
Show, I agree with you on Frank. First competition against another colored jersey. His athleticism is off the charts along with his body type. Just need to get healthy so this team can start to get used to playing with each other. I did not see Grayson forcing the issue in fact at times I thought he was passive.
My impression after watching the game last night is excitement. Sure there are numerous things we need to work on as individuals and as a team, but the talent is there and it's fun to watch. We need to do a better job rebounding and blocking out and we need to do a better job offensively in the half court. People are still finding their roles and learning the college game so there were periods of sloppiness but when it's on it's really on.
Couple individual notes:
Bolden: wow, he may not be a dump it in and watch guy like jah and he's not the most athletic big to ever play the game but his instincts are excellent, he's a quick jumper (quite different than jah) and the fundamentals are certainly there which should progress throughout the year. He is a deterrent around the rim for opponents and that is something we haven't had a ton of recently.
Luke: big time scorer this year. His confidence was shaky early last year but he's going to really shine this year.
Frank: electric, both sides of the ball. His on ball defense is better than we've had in years past and his ability to score is from anywhere in the gym.
Oh wait, we played without Tatum, Giles and Jones. Hahahaha to the rest of college basketball, good luck
Couple individual notes:
Bolden: wow, he may not be a dump it in and watch guy like jah and he's not the most athletic big to ever play the game but his instincts are excellent, he's a quick jumper (quite different than jah) and the fundamentals are certainly there which should progress throughout the year. He is a deterrent around the rim for opponents and that is something we haven't had a ton of recently.
Luke: big time scorer this year. His confidence was shaky early last year but he's going to really shine this year.
Frank: electric, both sides of the ball. His on ball defense is better than we've had in years past and his ability to score is from anywhere in the gym.
Oh wait, we played without Tatum, Giles and Jones. Hahahaha to the rest of college basketball, good luck
Agree but I think bolden is actually very athletic for his size. The challenge with him that I think show pointed out is keeping his motor running on high. I honestly think he has more defensive potential than Sheldon Williams but won't be here long enough to completely develop it.
Javin has a shot too. I don't think he'll stay 4 years. He passes the eye test and is already compiling a highlight reel.
After watching that game and CTC, I think Grayson is still feeling out his third role change in his three years on campus. He seems to be to be overly conscious of needing to get others involved more than he did last year, and he hasn't quite established the comfort level there yet. But I think he will.
Interesting take I don't see that at all. I think he looks very sure of himself and is going to play pretty much the same role as last year without as many minutes or shots to wear on him.
That might be some of it but also think he may be trying to avoid injury. Coach K said in last nights press conference that they are trying to get him to dial things back a bit and trying to play more in control so he is not always going to the floor. He said they need to be careful that they don't take away Grayson's aggression but he just needs to be smarter.
To me, that falls in line with the fact that we haven't seen Grayson looking to make a ton of those physical, aggressive drives yet that we are used to seeing from him. He's kind of laying back right now, shooting a bunch of three's and looking to get others involved. He does have the luxury this year of being able to pace himself and pick his spots better kind of like Tyus did. He doesn't have to go crazy in these kinds of games but maybe in the big games when the bright lights are one we'll see the real Grayson Allen.
It's interesting because I remember reading about Kyrie after his injury in the 2015 finals and that he said he was going to perhaps change his game a bit. Kyrie's known for his crazy drives and he is often going to the floor after those drives. So he would get injured a lot but then once he tried to "change his game" people criticized him for not being aggressive enough. Personally, I'm not a big fan of becoming so paranoid about injuries that you lose the very things that make you great.
I'll probably get clobbered for this one. I think he's gonna get hurt. He's made it way to long already the style he plays. Dude sacrifices the body every game, he has NO FEAR. He's one tough SOB but I just wish he'd reel it back just a little, I don't want to see him on one of these awkward landings break an arm or leg. Hell, hang on the rim after a dunk if you're running 100 mph son, don't let go and land on your side!
Agreed completely. I didn't really see him pressing the action too much or anything of the sort yesterday.
And that is actually a partial factor of the point I was making. I feel like I've seen a little bit of uncharacteristic indecisiveness. And what was mentioned above might be some of it, though I hadn't considered that, as far as learning how to play with his usual aggressiveness and verve, and being conscious of the amount of "reckless abandon" involved.
Don't understand what the talk about Grayson is all about after just one exhibition game. He didn't score 30. Big deal. He's pretty much plays the same way he did last year. What if he only averages 15 pts. a game this year. Are we gonna claim he's underachieving. Not to sound negative but it looks like Chase is going to be our target player this year. Well there's not going to be one with this old fart. OFC
I don't see chase getting much burn once Giles gets back. But yes, chase offensively is similar to Marshall other than his sr year. Way behind.
Show I have held my breath each time one of the boys go hard to the basket or the floor or get hit like Amile did at CTC by Grayson and like Grayson did on his stuff last night. There have been a few others also and I think its because of the Giles injury then Pinson getting hurt and then Tatum. We just have too many painful memories to several of the players in the past few years. Slow down boys, its a long season and no sense it getting banged up.
Sky thought u were from Burlington not Kingston lolThat's cause he's one of them amphibious dudes coach. He can do a lot of things with both hands. I think if he wanted to he could be a switch shooter.