- One NBA executive said that Duke forward Javin DeLaurier was extremely impressive. “He was all over the place."
- Both of the execs I spoke to were impressed with Wendell Carter — one was blown away by his passing ability.
- Multiple scouts in attendance felt that Trevon Duval might not be a lock first-rounder. Struggles to make shots and run the team.
- “I was expected raw, but he was more skilled. He was taking it off the rim, making 3’s, and he plays his *** off.” - NBA exec on Bagley
- Spoke to NBA exec who attended Duke’s practice yesterday. Was surprised by Marvin Bagley’s skill level, loved his energy & on-court demeanor
Some really good insight here..really encouraging stuff on Jav, Wendell, and Bagley. However the concerns about Duval continue.
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This isn’t new about Duval. Very athletic and nice showtime handles but never could shoot and half court point guard skills need a lot of work. In H.S he could just over power or out athlete players to the rim. I love his potential but he will need time to develop
Duval is certainly the top concern I have. Will be an interesting year watching K manage and coach him to get the most out of what he has. He’s a supreme athlete with exceptional handles- can he lead the team. Great news for him is there are weapons galore around him to mask a few of his difficiencies.
This is certainly great news with the exception of Duval, but I think he figures it out and when he does come March, lookout because here comes Duke!!
For a team so big man oriented, it's definitely concerning if we have a point guard that doesn't have a reliable jumper.
I don't think being a great shooter is what we need from Trevon. We have guys who can shoot. We need him getting the ball to the right guy at the right time. JMO
I'm not worried about scoring. We should score a lot. I'm just hoping we get back to some serious Duke level defense
I'm not worried about scoring. We should score a lot. I'm just hoping we get back to some serious Duke level defense
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I don't care if Duval shoots %15 on the year from 3, just hit em in the clutch.
Marvin and Wendell can both shoot 3’s. Again, our starting center should be knocking down 3’s.
The poor shooting from Trevon we can work around. All we need is for him to get the ball into the right hands, and also get into the lane at will. He may struggle early on defense but by conference play he should be a great defender, given his length and athleticism.
The poor shooting from Trevon we can work around. All we need is for him to get the ball into the right hands, and also get into the lane at will. He may struggle early on defense but by conference play he should be a great defender, given his length and athleticism.
Considering we haven't played a game yet, I don't pay much attention to what they say about Duval. Ok, maybe he isn't a great shooter, and is sloppy at times. Let's see what the kid does over the course of a season.
He's got 5 months to play for Duke, and along that way K and the staff can hopefully fine tune his game.
I think Duval is in good hands, if he listens.
He's got 5 months to play for Duke, and along that way K and the staff can hopefully fine tune his game.
I think Duval is in good hands, if he listens.
If Duval is able to pressure and harass the opposing point guard on defense, that is a tremendous benefit and something we haven't had for ages. If he does that, I'll live with the occasional turnover. I'm sure Coach K is telling him that.
As for turning pro, I could see him having a Frank Jackson type year where he may not be an all american but the pros see enough to encourage him to go pro, especially with his successor coming in the next year.
As for turning pro, I could see him having a Frank Jackson type year where he may not be an all american but the pros see enough to encourage him to go pro, especially with his successor coming in the next year.
Have the same concerns but really excited about him on the defensive end.See him having the potential to end the endless penetration by other teams point guardsThis is certainly great news with the exception of Duval, but I think he figures it out and when he does come March, lookout because here comes Duke!!
He doesn't need to shoot and I don't want him to. He needs to distribute and get lane penetration.Then he just needs to make a good decision whether to dish or dunk. If he plays that role, we are gold. He finishes as good as anyone at the rim.
He does indeed. I like his game and really his shooting is a concern if we didn’t have the weapons we do. If he keeps the TOs down he’s just fine.
Frankly, I'm excited by the prospect of a team not reliant on the 3. They have two shooters and a bunch of guys that should clean up around the rim, which is fine by me.
Tre will have normal freshman growing pains, the only shooting i am worried about for him are FT's. His role will be to break the defense down/attack the rim and get everyone involved, now if his passing ability and ball handling were sub par there would be an issue he just needs to ATLEAST shoot 70% from the line (i want better but ef it..). Lucky for Trevon he is playing with a senior Grayson Allen, this will take off a lot of pressure plus we have weapons.
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LOVE the Javin comments. What a kid!
Nervous about Duval though. I keep hearing about this bad jump shot. He might not need it at first but if we want to win it all, he’ll have to hit his shots. Sounds like he’s been trying and isn’t falling. Imagine if Grayson ad Trent aren’t hitting shots. That just leaves Duval and I guess Bagley. Hard to just not shoot in game especially for a guy who will have the ball SO MUCH.
The struggling to run the team comment is unsettling also. What exactly does that mean? What were we screaming last year? “We don’t have a true PG”. Well we have one this year but can he control the game the way K needs? Time will tell, practice isn’t the end all.
Carter is to overlook because Bagley is the shiny new toy, but before him Carter was supposed to be a killer and sure sounds like he will be. Stoked about this kid. Teams have no prayer against our front court.
Nervous about Duval though. I keep hearing about this bad jump shot. He might not need it at first but if we want to win it all, he’ll have to hit his shots. Sounds like he’s been trying and isn’t falling. Imagine if Grayson ad Trent aren’t hitting shots. That just leaves Duval and I guess Bagley. Hard to just not shoot in game especially for a guy who will have the ball SO MUCH.
The struggling to run the team comment is unsettling also. What exactly does that mean? What were we screaming last year? “We don’t have a true PG”. Well we have one this year but can he control the game the way K needs? Time will tell, practice isn’t the end all.
Carter is to overlook because Bagley is the shiny new toy, but before him Carter was supposed to be a killer and sure sounds like he will be. Stoked about this kid. Teams have no prayer against our front court.
Also eliminates cold shooting nights on the road if you have the inside game as the most prevalent scoring and defenders will leave the 3 pt. line more open.
Duval is the kind of guy who thrives in pressure moments. He plays on instinct. Practice games aren't his thing. He will show out when legs get tired and guys tighten up under pressure. His assist to turnover ratio will probably be even, but with opposing defenses forced to exert effort and attention on him, other guys will be free to occupy prime real estate. Also, Duval will destroy defenses off of long rebounds. We won't be watching Grayson and Luke lumber into the lane this year. Duval gets the ball to the rim before the D can react.
Tre knows a low 3pt% hurts his NBA stock. He won't be taking that many.
Tre knows a low 3pt% hurts his NBA stock. He won't be taking that many.
I'm not all that worried about Duvals shot. He just needs to buy in, do what he does well and give it 110 and all will be good. I don't feel like I know Duval as well I have other superstars in the past. What type of personality are we dealing with? From what I saw and hear Duval just cannot force things and do the easy things. I think we're LOADED, share the ball, nobody needs to carry this team
Duval will be fine. He has plenty of studs and scoring options around him. Take care of the basketball and defend...this team is going to be locked and loaded.
Can't wait!
Can't wait!
Duval will have to be able to hit a shot or two and he’ll have to take care of the ball. He’s listed at 6’3 butnis probably closer to 6’1. He does boast a 6’10 wingspan.
My point with that is I really hope he can focus on running the team and learning rather than prove he’s ready for the league. Early on he’s going to make 4 or 5 plays a game that make you say “holy cow that was great,” and then he’s going to make 4 or 5 that make you say “holy cow that was awful.”
He’s gotta cut down on the awful plays, because he can make certain plays that are going to win a game or two for Duke. Taking a rebound or loose ball full court to the cup for instance.
Jason Williams had a very similar start at Duke. He averaged 4.1 turnovers per game. He did the same thing; made you say wow and why in almost the same breath. But he could always make those plays that gave you a chance to win a close game.
Tricky will do the same stuff this season. I’d love to see him come back next year, especially if he’s in the low first round or early second.
My point with that is I really hope he can focus on running the team and learning rather than prove he’s ready for the league. Early on he’s going to make 4 or 5 plays a game that make you say “holy cow that was great,” and then he’s going to make 4 or 5 that make you say “holy cow that was awful.”
He’s gotta cut down on the awful plays, because he can make certain plays that are going to win a game or two for Duke. Taking a rebound or loose ball full court to the cup for instance.
Jason Williams had a very similar start at Duke. He averaged 4.1 turnovers per game. He did the same thing; made you say wow and why in almost the same breath. But he could always make those plays that gave you a chance to win a close game.
Tricky will do the same stuff this season. I’d love to see him come back next year, especially if he’s in the low first round or early second.
I share this concern and think it's the biggest point of interest.
I think it comes down to basic basketball. No matter how many shooters you have, there will be nights when the lid is just on the rim, and nothing is falling. What do you do then? You take it to the rack, and dang if we don't have guards and forwards who can penetrate and forwards and centers who can grab offensive rebounds. Make some FT's and it's all fine.
I think for the first year in quite a few we have a team that is less reliant on the 3, and like someone above already said, I kinda like that.
Now, give me a night when Allen and Trent are knocking down 3's and I'll show you a team that is virtually untouchable IMHO.
Go Duke!
Alan
Agreed. Our Duke teams that were overly reliant on 3 point shooting hasn't fared well in the tournament recently. In college basketball, having a strong frontcourt is still valuable, because when the shots aren't falling, offense can be created on missed shots and in transition. Self, Cal and Roy always make deep runs because they usually have strong frontcourts without a lack of shooters like Duke has enjoyed in the past. I would have loved for another 3 point threat (had Jackson or Kennard returned), but I think Duke can still go far in the tournament without that elite, deep, threat shooter.
Lane penetration is inter-dependent with an outside shooting threat, however.
Shooting is not just a thing in itself. The threat of the three is going to be a factor for Duval to be able to drive effectively and to find open players and for Duke to be effective. Otherwise, teams will just collapse on the interior or pressure the 3 point shooters; and it will be difficult to drive a clogged lane.
Generally speaking, however, the three off the dribble is a low % shot - even if someone is a good shooter. The key will be when other players have the ball and are driving or passing, whether teams can slough off Duval to prevent penetration and not worry about guarding him if he is not hitting a decent % of 3s on kick outs.
Duval will still do well against most teams - that's how it is in college. The key issue for this team, however, is not whether they can go 27-5 or whatever, but whether they can get to a Final Four and be a threat to win a title. I think that's the expectation right now.
It will be interesting with Duke having so many big players - other players on Duke can create space for them if they have a 3 point threat when Duval is not on the court. Throwing it into the post will result in double a lot of double and even triple teams with weak side help if Duval is unable to hit the three.
Great to hear that about DeLaurier. He is long and speedy. I am looking forward to seeing him this year as much as the other players. We have a really tall team with a lot of length. Should help with our defense.
I'm not as worried about the three-ball this season. Now....free throws? That has me a little concerned. Young teams are sometimes not good free throw shooting teams, and when you add to the mix us having some of those same guys who could spend a lot of there....well, it's a concern.
That said, hopefully it's just me being a tad irrational.
That said, hopefully it's just me being a tad irrational.