Seems to me that Gerald gives the team something no one else, with the possible exception of DeMarcus, can, and that that something explains his lower than ideal shooting percentage.
In the ebb and flow of games, there are times that other teams lock down on Duke and stop whatever offensive flow that Duke might want to create. It happens. In those moments, Gerald takes the ball, and yes, sometimes puts down his head, and says, "Game on, boys."
Now Gerald steps up big time in those circumstances and, if the other team stops him, they KNOW that they were in it. Those periods Gerald keeps Duke from seeming to sink. What's more, there are a number of times when, hello, he takes the best that the other team has to offer, all five of em if necessary, and rises above a guy who is three inches taller and just as athletic, and puts in a feathery jump shot. Stops the bleeding; also, takes my breath away.
I'd say that that is invaluable to this Duke team. I'd also like to think that more and more Gerald is going to make more and more of those shots when duty calls. Think David Thompson here. Or, Len Bias as a sophomore at the beginning of the season and at the end.
Anyway, in those moments, Scheyer, as talented as he is, is not going to hurt anyone, stand up to the lock down and say, "So what, try stopping this." This team needs that, and thankfully gets it from Gerald.
Come March, it could be real interesting; I like the kid's chances which, in my opinion, will greatly dictate Duke's.
Agreed. But they ain't on this team; Gerald is: "When you can't beee, with the one you love, love the one you're with."
On the other hand, both those guys were ruined by drugs. Gerald chose to go to Duke; he is young; and, you got to admit, when he elevates off the move for that feathery jump shot, he does sort of remind you of . . . , now don't he Indoor?
jon can take all the shots he wants after gerald goes pro
I think the minutes issue is fine. But I agree with the idea of changing the way both players are utilized. You guys know I've been singing this tune, but Scheyer HAS to touch the ball more (and that's where I'll respectfully disagree with you, GW). The first half of the FSU was a revelation because, as I wrote earlier, two things happened. 1) Scheyer finally took it upon himself to be more aggressive, and we saw just how awesome he could be (including attacking the hoop) and 2) Duke looked for him more, at least in the first half.
But Duke has to get Scheyer out of the corner. That is not his strength. If this is a derivation of the Suns' halfcourt offense, he is not Raja Bell (strictly a spot-up schooter on offense) and Duke has to stop using him that way. Get him the ball out front and let him create off the bounce. It's worth noting that when the game got tight, Duke made this switch, and he immediately found Singler for the go-ahead three off a pick-and-pop.
The thing I'd like to see out of Gerald (and a couple of announcers have mentioned this too) is posting him up. Duke has a great opportunity to invert its offense. Gerald might not have advanced post moves yet, but he can still take another wing on the block and get a good shot.
He's a terrific player, extremely versatile, and always growing. I particularly like the way he slows now to finish under control with simple layups aka Nash. Classic!
As always, in trying to make one point, I overstate something else. Jon seems to have so many responsibilities that sap energy. That makes playing the role I mentioned problematic. If Jon could simply wait and catch in dangerous position, I'm sure he could give it a good go in the role mentioned above. I don't watch all that much, and, now that I think about it, he probably does.
Hey Jumbo! - We at least agree on the minutes for both players and posting up Henderson. As I stated, I like the way Scheyer is currently being used (sort of a wing/point combination) and you and others have convinced me that he should touch the ball more often. I'm still not convinced that he should take on more of the scoring burden but based on the FSU game he came up strong when others were not producing.
gw67