Not sure if this has been brought up...

[LetsGoDuke301]

For me, chemistry has been my biggest concern for the entire year. And scoring was an issue during the end of the season. These past few games Duke has improved in both.

The starting five seems to have continuity and that may not be the biggest thing. Since Allen has gotten healthy he still hasn't got his starting job back. But I think that is by design. Allen and Giles coming off the bench together adds a great new element to each game. They both seem to be improving together and it seems clear that Allen has made it a point to get Giles going early. I honestly believe that the emergence of Giles paired with Allen adapting to his new role has given this team a burst of new energy.

 

[Alaskan_Assassin_21]

Whenever you see an increase in bench minutes - the locker room will be more intrigued and this too improves chemistry. The Allen move you reference gives us a clear 2nd unit and now players can practice and expect accordingly. Love Jackson's continual growth but it's unfortunate Matt Jones is the guy lost in the shuffle. Fortunately the farther we make it - the more opportunities he'll have in certain spots of the Tournament to make a clear impact

 

[MyDudeG_rivals]

Our starting lineup and bench is way more balanced with Grayson coming in as the 6th man in my opinion. It helps us defensively to start the game with Frank in the game. You're right, Grayson is the guard on our team that has the court vision to get our bigs easy buckets. I love Luke, but the dude does not look to the bigs at all even when they get good positioning which must be really frustrating for them. That's really one of the only areas offensively I think Luke could improve on.

 

[Quavarius]

For me, chemistry has been my biggest concern for the entire year. And scoring was an issue during the end of the season. These past few games Duke has improved in both.

The starting five seems to have continuity and that may not be the biggest thing. Since Allen has gotten healthy he still hasn't got his starting job back. But I think that is by design. Allen and Giles coming off the bench together adds a great new element to each game. They both seem to be improving together and it seems clear that Allen has made it a point to get Giles going early. I honestly believe that the emergence of Giles paired with Allen adapting to his new role has given this team a burst of new energy.

Yep, Allen is offense off the bench and Giles is defense/rebounding off the bench and they seem to fit those roles perfectly!

 

[Quavarius]

Whenever you see an increase in bench minutes - the locker room will be more intrigued and this too improves chemistry. The Allen move you reference gives us a clear 2nd unit and now players can practice and expect accordingly. Love Jackson's continual growth but it's unfortunate Matt Jones is the guy lost in the shuffle. Fortunately the farther we make it - the more opportunities he'll have in certain spots of the Tournament to make a clear impact

Jones can focus on locking down the opponents best perimeter player, a role I'm sure he relish.

 

[LouisiAaron]

The move to keep Grayson coming off the bench was a great move by Coach K. I've been hard on him. Earlier in the year it was warranted. Lately he has been making great moves. Perfect timing! Frank puts immediate pressure on the opposing guard at the tip. Grayson gets to see how the game is being played and can come in and fit right in. Reminds me of when Amile went to the bench in 2015. It made a huge difference for us. I'm looking forward to this tournament. Remember I said this...Giles or Bolden will have a double double game in this tourney and power us to victory in a tight game

 

[2 skerz 3_rivals208847]

Jones can focus on locking down the opponents best perimeter player, a role I'm sure he relish.

He does relish this but the opponents do as well. When Matt is on the floor and we are on offense the opponent is able to clog driving lanes and double on post touches cause Matt just can't score consistently. Love Matt, but it is what it is.

 

[jbay201]

i love watching jackson drive to the lane and score...makes the other team need to respect our PG's ability to dribble drive. Grayson also can have his minutes kept low early in tourney if jackson plays well allowing him to avoid another injury or worsening of his current injuries. A healthy GA will be key to winning the championship this year!

 

[Mac9192]

In my opinion the only reason Grayson is coming off bench is what he has put himself through and his combination of multiple injuries he's dealt with. Until I read the article about him and that sick girl from his hometown did I realize how hurt he was at start of season. Then to overcome his mental part after the Elon trip incident to play so well only to injure his ankle in not 1 but 2 games, it basically limited his minutes going into ACC tournament. He came back strong against Louisville and Tar Holes and played well in first half against ND before playing bad in second half. K said he was exhausted. This kid has been thru absolute hell this year and I admire the hell out of him. Without him I believe we don't have a chance to cut down the nets. No one distributes the ball like him and he's a great scorer as well. Hope he can help lead Duke to #6. One of my all time favorite Dukies, and that spans 30+ years

 

[OhioDukeFan32]

I love Grayson coming off the bench and being that 6th man who can come in a go for 20 pts. Remember, the 1991 team had Billy McCaffery and the 1999 team had Corey Maggette and both those years ended well.

 

[timo0402]

I love Grayson coming off the bench and being that 6th man who can come in a go for 20 pts. Remember, the 1991 team had Billy McCaffery and the 1999 team had Corey Maggette and both those years ended well.

I think 99 could have ended a bit better.

 

[TRU CANE]

Excellent move by K. I've long felt Jackson needed to be the point guard on this team. Last game, Grayson began turning the ball over (albeit a couple were fouls) but he began to lose his composure. Frank came in and the team responded. I kind of wish it was done sooner but I understand. All that matters is that K appears to have finally figured out "the rotation" that best fits this team. Grayson is awesome, just needed to find the best role for him this year and I think this is it.

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

I thought the 4 games in 4 days was actually good for this team.

 

[germantondevil]

I think 99 could have ended a bit better.

I'm with you on the 99 team. I believe that is the only team that has ever went 19-0 thru the ACC. That was a dominant as hell team. Still makes me sick

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

I'm with you on the 99 team. I believe that is the only team that has ever went 19-0 thru the ACC. That was a dominant as hell team. Still makes me sick

Man! Me too. Damn UCONN!! Glad they are bad this year and hope they stay that way.

 

[dukephysics]

The chemistry between Jayson and Grayson has been something I've noticed the last really 2 games. They seem to play off of each other on offense very well. One will start to drive, kick to the other, he will then drive and get the ball right back to the other guy. They are both really good off the dribble and seem to be trying to get doubled to help free up their teammate.

 

[consman]

I'm with you on the 99 team. I believe that is the only team that has ever went 19-0 thru the ACC. That was a dominant as hell team. Still makes me sick

I was just thinking about this last month and tried to find some stats to back it up. I'm pretty sure its right, but can anyone confirm that team was the only one to go undefeated in the ACC? Not sure where to go to search, but I tried the ACC and a few other sites and nothing came up for me. I can still remember the feeling watching that game slip away...

 

[Mac9192]

I was just thinking about this last month and tried to find some stats to back it up. I'm pretty sure its right, but can anyone confirm that team was the only one to go undefeated in the ACC? Not sure where to go to search, but I tried the ACC and a few other sites and nothing came up for me. I can still remember the feeling watching that game slip away...

Yes they did. 2 losses were to Cincinnati and U Conn. I've tried to forget the last loss

 

[HuffyJB]

I thought the 4 games in 4 days was actually good for this team.

I completely agree. I do agree with the adage that sometimes a loss can be a good thing. I think the 2015 team losing to ND in the ACC semis ultimately helped them refocus. That team already had proven itself at a high level - three true road wins at top ten teams, Champions Classic domination of an MSU team that would go on to the Final Four, swept UNC, etc. They had achieved a confidence in what they were capable of. The current team did not have quite as much to hang their hats on, largely because of the injury-related lack of continuity. They needed a big time accomplishment to prove to themselves definitively that they have what it takes. And boy they got that. That is a very big deal. 2015 needed a loss, 2017 needed a win. We'll see if both stories end the same.