Thread Nitpicking Deficiencies In Duke's Best Player And Leading Scorer

[Greg_Newton]

I don't know if I'd even put Kyrie ahead of him. Kyrie was a better finisher by far, but man, is Austin explosive. I don't know if we've ever had anyone attack the rim with the speed and explosion he does... whereas Kyrie was incredible at reading defenders and putting his body and the ball in advantageous places, Austin simiply moves so quickly that defenders aren't even really sure how to react. I seriously think his sharp little moves around the rim might be hard for defenders to follow visually at times.

[jv001]

The biggest differences in Kyrie and Austin; Kyrie's ability to use his left hand as well as his righthand, he was stronger and finished better, he had better court vision and was a better free throw shooter. I know that we didn't see that much of Kyrie but before his injury I hadn't seen many point guards do what he did. Austin may become that good but he has some work to do. GoDuke!

[mapei]

For me, Kyrie never really got to play at Duke. He had a great start but was injured early, was ineffective when he came back, and then left for the NBA. So while maybe he *could* have been the best driver to the basket for Duke, he never got much of a chance to prove it.

Austin is the best I've seen as a freshman at Duke.

[duke09hms]

He had a great start but was injured early, was ineffective when he came back, and then left for the NBA.

This is a gross mischaracterization. Just off the top of my head, the go-ahead bucket against Michigan in the 2nd round. As well as contributing 28 pts on 9-15 FGs and 3 asts 1 TO against Arizona.

[jv001]

For me, Kyrie never really got to play at Duke. He had a great start but was injured early, was ineffective when he came back, and then left for the NBA. So while maybe he *could* have been the best driver to the basket for Duke, he never got much of a chance to prove it.

Austin is the best I've seen as a freshman at Duke.

Well we'll just disagree as gentlemen and go from there. I feel Kyrie gave it all for Duke. He couldn't help getting injured. I wish all of our players on the bench rooted for their team mates like Kyrie did last year. I say look at how Kyrie is doing in the NBA(for a pretty bad team) and that pretty much proves how good a driver of the ball he is. GoDuke!

[roywhite]

The biggest differences in Kyrie and Austin; Kyrie's ability to use his left hand as well as his righthand, he was stronger and finished better, he had better court vision and was a better free throw shooter. I know that we didn't see that much of Kyrie but before his injury I hadn't seen many point guards do what he did. Austin may become that good but he has some work to do. GoDuke!

Kyrie is obviously a great talent, 1st draft choice overall and possibly ROY in the NBA, so comparisons for anyone are difficult.

Seems to me that Austin may actually be a little more explosive and stronger than Kyrie on his drives; Austin's jab steps, first step toward the hoop, and change of direction are special. Kyrie was better at finishing with a soft touch and his "amphibious" ways, plus as noted his free throws were money.

Apart from the comparison, I really, really like the way Austin wants the ball in key situations late and can make plays. He nearly always get a decent shot at the basket, goes to the line, or is able to set up a teammate for a good look.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I'll chime in here and say I think all mentioned are great.

For now, though, the difference I see with Kyrie and Austin is that I think Kyrie was a better finisher than Austin, and so that separates him a bit for me, and Kyrie could finish with both hands.
BUT, Austin is getting better with that and I love his progression.

To me it's not necessarily about speed or first step, it's about getting to the basket and having the ability to score while being pushed around. IMO, Kyrie is a little ahead of Austin right now, but that doesn't mean I don't love AR's ability.

[Indoor66]

The biggest differences in Kyrie and Austin; Kyrie's ability to use his left hand as well as his righthand, he was stronger and finished better, he had better court vision and was a better free throw shooter. I know that we didn't see that much of Kyrie but before his injury I hadn't seen many point guards do what he did. Austin may become that good but he has some work to do. GoDuke!

Kyrie was also a better passer than Austin. He found people when he was cut off. Better court vision, as you said.

[UrinalCake]

All three of these guys are/were amazing. Kyrie was crafty and just found a way to get the ball in the hole, weaving through defenders. He also had probably the best outside shot of the three, which you had to respect. And I think he was the best at distributing the ball while driving towards the hoop. Austin has a slightly quicker first step and also does a great job around the rim, but I think his decision making isn't quite as good. Actually I'd probably call it "instincts" rather than decision-making because of how naturally things came for Kyrie. Kyrie almost never got blocked because his awareness was just so good. And J Williams was just a freak of nature, he was as quick as Rivers but also built like a linebacker. He could decide to go straight to the hoop and dunk it and guys couldn't stop it. But I agree that he didn't come in quite as developed as the other two; in our memories we think mostly of him in his sophomore and junior years.

[Devilsfan]

Kyrie #1
JWill #2. (On the court)
Austin #3

Austin could move up if he chooses to return next year.

[UrinalCake]

Kyrie also had the good fortune of having Nolan and Kyle as teammates. Both provided leadership, and Nolan in particular served as a mentor and took all of the pressure off of him so he could step in and do what he does best. Austin doesn't have that luxury, he's having to balance whether to take control or share the ball, on a team without a natural leader.

[Wander]

I think Austin has the best first step of anyone, and thus perhaps the best potential. But he's got farther to go in making the layups after the first move, using his left hand, and deciding when to pass out compared to those other guys. To some degree that's, to quote the other thread, nitpicking our best player, but since we are comparing to a former #1 and #2 pick...

[Starter]

With all due respect to the new jacks -- because I love them both -- I vote for J. Will. He absolutely vaporized guys off the dribble right from the start. Kyrie was pretty close. I'd put Rivers third, but only by default.

[roywhite]

With all due respect to the new jacks -- because I love them both -- I vote for J. Will. He absolutely vaporized guys off the dribble right from the start. Kyrie was pretty close. I'd put Rivers third, but only by default.

Love them all, too, but to your point about J. Will -- no doubt he was a dynamic player, but as a freshman shot 42% from the field (and 35.4% from 3-pt), so I don't think he finished as well then as he did in his sophomore and junior years. What would Kyrie be doing if this were his sophomore year in college? Maybe we'll see how Austin does as a sophomore?

[Edouble]

Love them all, too, but to your point about J. Will -- no doubt he was a dynamic player, but as a freshman shot 42% from the field (and 35.4% from 3-pt), so I don't think he finished as well then as he did in his sophomore and junior years. What would Kyrie be doing if this were his sophomore year in college? Maybe we'll see how Austin does as a sophomore?

I think he's just talking about the ability to drive to the basket. I think Jason Williams is #1 at Duke with simply driving to the basket. At times it seemed like he could just score any time he wanted to.

I think Austin may have the quickest first step I have seen in a Duke guard. However, Jason Williams was ahead of Austin in two areas:

1) Leaping ability. We used to regularly call an out of bounds play that was designed for an alley oop to Jason. He would occasionally finish his drives with a dunk. I don't remember seeing Austin finish a drive with a dunk.

2) Strength. The guy was beefy enough to really take a hit.

[greybeard]

This kid Austin has stood up several times now and carried his team, literally on his shoulders, to a tight victory. He has taken a beating in just about every game he has played. He has the quickest feet going to the basket at speed and slivering through a crowd I have ever seen. Only thing comparable is Lionel Messi. Kyrie might be better, but not tougher, and certainly not as durable. Austin's quick feet, speed, slivering ability, and deceptive strength present a unique combination. He thrives for "the moment," delivers threes from amazing distance when it counts the most, gets to the basket and scores in amazing ways, and has learned how to give other guys an opportunity to do their thing, even at crunch time.and gets to the basket, scores and/or draws a foul amongst two, often three players.

Abstractly, Kyrie might have been better at Duke then Austin but we'll never know because he went down after 5 games and left. The only big game that Kyrie played in for Duke he shut down the player of the year in the ACC (too bad he was on the same team) and Duke lost. Austin has carried Duke to at least two huge victories, has grown tremendously as a player, and has the nerves and grit of a gun slinger. He's my pick between the two.

JWill, he had this ability to start hard towards the basket right, pull it back, catch, shoot and make the three or hesitate if the guy closed, and continue to beat him on the bounce. I think he carried it every time. He never was called for it, so perhaps I'm wrong. I think tons of guards beat their defenders only because of carries that are not called--at least one of Virginia Tech's guards among them. If that's truly an okay play (it seems reality says it is), you maybe have tto give it to JWill. But, Rivers is only a freshman, and I think he'll be around a while, maybe three, even four, seasons. Then we'll measure.

[JNort]

I think it has to be Kyrie and it is not even that close. He was the most well rounded at getting in there easily and finishing many ways and making good decisions even if it was only 11 games.

tier 1: Kyrie

tier 2: Austin, JWill and Hurley

tier 3: idk right now

[rthomas]

I really wouldn't put Kyrie in the top 10. Not because I don't like him but because he only played a few games. What about Nolan? J. Dawkins?

[davekay1971]

This kid Austin has stood up several times now and carried his team, literally on his shoulders, to a tight victory. He has taken a beating in just about every game he has played. He has the quickest feet going to the basket at speed and slivering through a crowd I have ever seen. Only thing comparable is Lionel Messi. Kyrie might be better, but not tougher, and certainly not as durable. Austin's quick feet, speed, slivering ability, and deceptive strength present a unique combination. He thrives for "the moment," delivers threes from amazing distance when it counts the most, gets to the basket and scores in amazing ways, and has learned how to give other guys an opportunity to do their thing, even at crunch time.and gets to the basket, scores and/or draws a foul amongst two, often three players.

Abstractly, Kyrie might have been better at Duke then Austin but we'll never know because he went down after 5 games and left. The only big game that Kyrie played in for Duke he shut down the player of the year in the ACC (too bad he was on the same team) and Duke lost. Austin has carried Duke to at least two huge victories, has grown tremendously as a player, and has the nerves and grit of a gun slinger. He's my pick between the two.

JWill, he had this ability to start hard towards the basket right, pull it back, catch, shoot and make the three or hesitate if the guy closed, and continue to beat him on the bounce. I think he carried it every time. He never was called for it, so perhaps I'm wrong. I think tons of guards beat their defenders only because of carries that are not called--at least one of Virginia Tech's guards among them. If that's truly an okay play (it seems reality says it is), you maybe have tto give it to JWill. But, Rivers is only a freshman, and I think he'll be around a while, maybe three, even four, seasons. Then we'll measure.

Love the first and 3rd paragraphs (especially the use of the word "slivering", which may or may not be in Websters, but it describes what Austin does perfectly), completely disagree with the 2nd.

First, Kyrie was with us 8 games before going down, just as a nitpicking point of accuracy. Counting his 3 games in his return, that's 11.

Kyrie played in 5 big games for us. He helped Duke beat high quality competition in the early season against Marquette, K-State, Mich St, and Butler. He then played in the Arizona debacle.

It's completely unfair to characterize his performance against Arizona as "shutting down" Nolan Smith. Are we really going to lay the blame on a freshman for Nolan's performance against Arizona? Obviously, Kyrie coming back disrupted Nolan's performance, but who's fault is that? Kyrie's? Nolan was a senior, a captain, and, as much as I love the guy, he had some responsibility to figure out how to work with Kyrie in the backcourt on Kyrie's return, without getting taken out of his own game. How about K, who I respect and admire and firmly believe is the best college basketball coach in the last 40 years? Maybe there was no good solution to working Kyrie back in to the lineup at the start of the NCAAT, but it's the responsibility of the coach to find one if it's there...not the responsiblity of the freshman.

I, personally, don't subscribe to the theory that Kyrie came back and looked first and foremost to showcase himself. He was too good of a teammate all year, especially when injured, to just throw the team aside. I think Kyrie came back and looked to help the team any way he could. And, against Arizona, he was the ONLY guy who was effective.

He didn't shut Nolan down that game.

[davekay1971]

I can't talk about Austin's omelette difficulties. I break them every time. They end up just being scrambled. My wife, on the other hand, manages to turn them perfectly. Infuriating. She's already better than me at most everything, now it's omelettes, too. So, I've got Austin's back on this one. Just scramble those eggs, Austin. It's easier and better for your mental health.

BTW: I also have it on good authority that he tends to castle too early in chess. Pathetic.