Nolan's three point shooting

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think that this deserves its own thread. Nolan is one the most ridiculous three point shooting streak. Since the St. John's game back in early December, Nolan has hit 17-25 treys (68%). That is absolutely disgusting. I know Andre has a great shot, but I think the best three point shooter has to be Nolan. He has really improved that shot of his over the summer. With his ability to penetrate, it's no wonder that he is averaging over 18 ppg. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[jv001]

I would not trade our two guards for any other duo in the country. Nolan has raised his game to another level. His shooting of the 3 is outstanding. His hard work over the summer months has paid off. Let's hope Jon and Nolan continue their play through the ACC season. Go Duke!

[rthomas]

I think that this deserves its own thread. Nolan is one the most ridiculous three point shooting streak. Since the St. John's game back in early December, Nolan has hit 17-25 treys (68%). That is absolutely disgusting. I know Andre has a great shot, but I think the best three point shooter has to be Nolan. He has really improved that shot of his over the summer. With his ability to penetrate, it's no wonder that he is averaging over 18 ppg. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

I don't know about disgusting, but it is sick!

[91_92_01_10_15]

Nolan is getting beautiful open looks thanks to all the attention being paid to Scheyer and Singler, and he is flat-out knocking them down. The less he forces things, the better he performs. Good job, Nolan!

[BlueintheFace]

I don't know about disgusting, but it is sick!

I don't know about sick, but it is nasty :)

[flyingdutchdevil]

Nolan is getting beautiful open looks thanks to all the attention being paid to Scheyer and Singler, and he is flat-out knocking them down. The less he forces things, the better he performs. Good job, Nolan!

Nolan is receiving a fair amount of attention. It's not solely because of the Scheyer and Singler. He is probably the most improved player on our team (I would argue that over Scheyer - Scheyer played great when he was a point last year). We just looks so much more comfortable out there.

For the record, Nolan's three point shooting can be described with the following adjectives: disgusting, nasty, and sick. Any others?

[roywhite]

Love the 3-pointers, but I also love Nolan's drives to the rim. Had some really nice finishes last night.

Sherron Collins from Kansas is playing very well, but I agree with the post that Duke's guards are overall playing the best in the country.

[airowe]

I don't know about sick, but it is nasty :)

SickNasty.

[91_92_01_10_15]

Nolan is receiving a fair amount of attention. It's not solely because of the Scheyer and Singler.

Agreed. I could have just as easily have said that Scheyer is getting much better looks because of the attention being paid to Singler and Smith. Ain't team basketball great (and beautiful to see, I might add)?

[Rudy]

The less he forces things, the better he performs. Good job, Nolan!
Yes, this is it. He is not pressing so much and his shot selection is better than his first several games this season. He is playing with much more confidence.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I feel that Nolan's only main weakness is turning the ball over too much (although he does have a 1.9:1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Yes - he drives with his head down - but I don't feel that it is hurting the team too much. Also, I feel that he has better court awareness as the season goes on.

[davekay1971]

Good idea to have a Nolan thread. Scheyer is having such a sensation season (approaching one of those legendary seasons we've been privileged to see at Duke before...ie: Reddick 2006, Battier 2001, Williams 2001, Hurley 1993, Hill 1994, Laettner 1992, etc) that Nolan is not getting the attention he deserves. But he's been absolutely great for us. He and Scheyer are, right now, the best backcourt in the country.

Take a step back and think about what we expected from those guys before the season started. We knew Scheyer would be good, but not this exceptional. We hoped Nolan would be that bolt of electricity and non-athletic-athleticism that we'd lost with EWill and G gone. He's much more - creating offense, knocking down open looks, playing fantastic defense.

Our inside game is promising, Singler has been very very good, but it's the spectacular play of Scheyer and Smith that have really raised this team to arguably playing the best basketball in the country right now.

[DoubleDuke Dad]

Take a step back and think about what we expected from those guys before the season started. We knew Scheyer would be good, but not this exceptional. We hoped Nolan would be that bolt of electricity and non-athletic-athleticism that we'd lost with EWill and G gone. He's much more - creating offense, knocking down open looks, playing fantastic defense.


Speaking of EWill, did you see the Memphis-Syracuse game that preceded the Duke game on ESPN2 where he got his slam dunk blocked by the basket! That was embarrassing to say the least. All he had to do was lay it in as there was not a Syracuse player within 30 feet of him. Instead he decided to do a monster dunk and cost his team two points at the time when the game was in doubt. I wonder how Coach K would have responded to that unnecessary bit of showmanship.

[mus074]

I feel that Nolan's only main weakness is turning the ball over too much (although he does have a 1.9:1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Yes - he drives with his head down - but I don't feel that it is hurting the team too much. Also, I feel that he has better court awareness as the season goes on.

Nolan is only turning the ball over on 12.8% of his own possessions, which ranks 206th (http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Duke) in D-1. That is a fantastic number for a guard who plays almost 70% of his team's minutes and uses 24.4% of his team's possessions when he's on the floor.

Nolan's offensive rating puts him at 17th (http://kenpom.com/leaders.php?c=ORtg) among players who use at least 24% of the team's possessions while on the floor. (I could extol the ORtg virtues of Scheyer and Dawkins, too, but I don't want to hijack Nolan's thread. However, I do invite you to look at the listings for 20% users and all players. :cool:)

Our back court of Smith and Scheyer (with pop-ins from Dawkins) is simply phenomenal. In my biased opinion, it is the best in the country. And being so far off the national radar and media hype is wonderfully refreshing.

[juise]

I don't know about sick, but it is nasty :)

I don't know about nasty, but it sure is filthy. ;)

[onepresent]

SickNasty.

"The firm." Is that taken?

[cato]

I don't know about nasty, but it sure is filthy. ;)

I don't know about filthy, but it sure is ill.*



*Oops, is my 80's showing?

[lpd1982]

I don't know about nasty, but it sure is filthy. ;)


Bad.

[UrinalCake]

These things all tie in together... his excellent 3-point percentage is a combination of:

- having practiced like crazy and improved his actual shot (duh)
- taking only good shots, not forcing bad ones
- having the ability to drive to the rim, therefore requiring defenses to respect that by playing off a little
- having teammates that garner attention too, i.e. having a well-balanced attack so you don't have to force shots
- staying in a rhythm; not getting fatigued or pulled due to foul trouble
- not being behind, again so you don't have to force shots.

All in all, things are really clicking well for everyone, including Nolan!

[flyingdutchdevil]

There were previous posts stating that Nolan wasn't very consistent. I really hope that those beliefs are gone. In the last 8 games, Nolan has failed to score at least 19 points only once (GT loss with 9 points). He is unbelievable. Plus, his D on Ish in the GT game solidified his importance on D.

Singler may be tough as nails, Scheyer may be having a 1st All-American season, but Nolan is the most improved player in the ACC and an absolutely scoring machine. What the guy has done this year, especially of late, is incredible.

[Fish80]

I don't know about filthy, but it sure is ill.*

*Oops, is my 80's showing?

It might be downright offensive. ;)

[Chitowndevil]

Singler may be tough as nails, Scheyer may be having a 1st All-American season, but Nolan is the most improved player in the ACC and an absolutely scoring machine. What the guy has done this year, especially of late, is incredible.

Couldn't agree more. Nolan's outside shooting has been incredible but I'm more impressed that he's become such a complete offensive player. I've noticed him taking the ball late in the shot clock and getting great shots on penetration to the basket. And his off the ball play has been terrific as well - consider his terrific cut to the basket against BC, bailing out Lance Thomas who had the ball in the corner and resulting in a 3 point play. This may just be me, but I think Scheyer taking over many traditional point guard duties late last season has been a really good thing for Nolan. Ironically, given that most of us had him penciled in as a starting PG before last season, Nolan's passing may be the weakest part of his offensive game!

[Billy Dat]

Good idea to have a Nolan thread. Scheyer is having such a sensation season (approaching one of those legendary seasons we've been privileged to see at Duke before...ie: Reddick 2006, Battier 2001, Williams 2001, Hurley 1993, Hill 1994, Laettner 1992, etc) that Nolan is not getting the attention he deserves. But he's been absolutely great for us.

Just like I wondered in December when Scheyer would start getting more national attention (it came), I am now wondering about Nolan. I agree with those that have stated that maybe he's playing under the radar because people perceive a lack of defensive attention being focused on him. Maybe the lack of attention is good, it puts a little chip on his shoulder and gives him that extra edge.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Couldn't agree more. Nolan's outside shooting has been incredible but I'm more impressed that he's become such a complete offensive player. I've noticed him taking the ball late in the shot clock and getting great shots on penetration to the basket. And his off the ball play has been terrific as well - consider his terrific cut to the basket against BC, bailing out Lance Thomas who had the ball in the corner and resulting in a 3 point play. This may just be me, but I think Scheyer taking over many traditional point guard duties late last season has been a really good thing for Nolan. Ironically, given that most of us had him penciled in as a starting PG before last season, Nolan's passing may be the weakest part of his offensive game!

Great post. Agree about the weakest part of his game. However, he is second in assists on our team and feel that his passing isn't as bad as some make it out to be. When Smith comes back next year and learns to drive with his head up, I don't understand how he will be stopped. He is shooting .500 from the 3-point line, over .800 from the strip, .478 for the season, and has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.6, which is significantly better than last year.

IMO, the most complete offensive and consistent player on our team.

[Kedsy]

Great post. Agree about the weakest part of his game. However, he is second in assists on our team and feel that his passing isn't as bad as some make it out to be. When Smith comes back next year and learns to drive with his head up, I don't understand how he will be stopped. He is shooting .500 from the 3-point line, over .800 from the strip, .478 for the season, and has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.6, which is significantly better than last year.

IMO, the most complete offensive and consistent player on our team.

I was most impressed by Nolan's play during the "stall-ball" segment at the end of the game. Several times as the shot clock was winding down, Nolan blew by his man but stayed in control for the easy score at the very end of the shot clock. It has been awhile since we've seen that happen regularly in our late-game spread offense.

[oldnavy]

I was most impressed by Nolan's play during the "stall-ball" segment at the end of the game. Several times as the shot clock was winding down, Nolan blew by his man but stayed in control for the easy score at the very end of the shot clock. It has been awhile since we've seen that happen regularly in our late-game spread offense.

One of my (and many others as well) keys to this season was Nolan's play. He has not dissappointed. He is having an All ACC caliber year IMHO. Plus, Nolan seems to be gaining confidence each time out. He is getting more aggressive which is a VERY good thing.

[flyingdutchdevil]

One of my (and many others as well) keys to this season was Nolan's play. He has not dissappointed. He is having an All ACC caliber year IMHO. Plus, Nolan seems to be gaining confidence each time out. He is getting more aggressive which is a VERY good thing.


Along with Scheyer, the way that Nolan is playing, he is definitely 1st-team All ACC. With Nolan and Scheyer in the backcourt, you can't defend both of them effectively. It's what makes our backcourt so lethal. Few teams have two defensive stoppers in the backcourt, and Duke's personal has completely taken advantage of this.

Nolan, without question, deserves national attention. When he does get it, let's hope that his game remains the same.

[NSDukeFan]

Great post. Agree about the weakest part of his game. However, he is second in assists on our team and feel that his passing isn't as bad as some make it out to be. When Smith comes back next year and learns to drive with his head up, I don't understand how he will be stopped. He is shooting .500 from the 3-point line, over .800 from the strip, .478 for the season, and has an assist/turnover ratio of 1.6, which is significantly better than last year.

IMO, the most complete offensive and consistent player on our team.

The first few games of the season, Nolan seemed to be driving with his head down and put up some poor shots and had a few turnovers. I haven't noticed this at all for many games now and think that as aggressive as he is, he is also making good decisions with the ball. IMO, he has been taking good shots and finding open teammates as well. I am not nearly as concerned about Nolan's passing at this point.
I was also very impressed with him when, (I think it was the BC game that Kyle entered in a bit of a slump?) he made a concerted effort to get Kyle some layups on the break to get him some easy baskets. And of course, I haven't even talked about his great defense.
Continue the great work Nolan!