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View Full Version : Duke Recruits in the Elite 24 Game



tommy
09-05-2012, 12:10 AM
Sorry I didn't get this posted right after the game as I've been traveling a lot lately, but I thought there may be some folks out there who still would appreciate a first person account of the performance of Duke recruits in the Elite 24 game, played on the famed outdoor Venice Beach courts in Los Angeles about ten days ago. I didn't know whether to put this in the 2013 or 2014 Recruiting thread, since the game involved players from both classes, so I just started this thread instead.

A major caveat is that it is very difficult to draw a lot of conclusions based on this type of game. It is an all-star game, and more than that, is an end of the summer thing, played outdoors, with little structure and not a lot of defense. But still, even in this environment, it is possible to see some things to like and some things not to like in a given player, and to just get a feel for a player's game.

First of all, Kyrie Irving was one of the "coaches" in the game. What I noticed was not his preparation or game planning or strategic decisions, because there was absolutely none of that in this pickup game atmosphere, nor did anyone expect there to be. But Kyrie commands a lot of attention and respect from the players. When he would call a kid over, either before, during, or after the game, the kid would hustle over and he was all ears. At halftime, Kyrie spent a lot of time with a forward from Pennsylvania named Rondae Jefferson, but he also hung out and talked a lot and laughed easily with Julius Randle. Probably means nothing, but it can't hurt. OK, to the players now:

Julius Randle. This guys has a pro body right now. He is just thick and solid through the torso and shoulders, and carries himself as if to say, "get out of my way." There has been chatter about his having short arms and having trouble finishing against long defenders, but his arms didn't look short to me and he finished just fine, especially when he took over the game in the second half, finishing 13 of 14 for 27 points.

He has a very good handle for a guy his size, and he likes to use it. He likes to get it 15 or 17 feet away and then use a dribble move to get to the hoop. In a game like this, nobody was getting in his way, though of course in real college games defenders will step in and try to take a charge, so he's going to have to get used to that.

There's no doubt in my mind that he can play a little 5 in college if his team needs him to, even though his natural position is PF. Forget about all these people downgrading him because he struggled against Andrew Wiggins this summer, or other reasons. Randle would be the best scoring power player we've had since Shelden Williams for sure, though I actually think Julius has a more diverse offensive skill set than did Shel, so really Julius might be the best since Carlos Boozer. Who knows if he'd stick around long enough to reach those heights, but in any event, getting Randle in the truck would be a major, major coup for Duke.

Austin Nichols. I was not expecting to be all that impressed with Nichols, but I was wrong. I expected him to be skinny. He's not. While he's not ripped like Wayne Selden or as thick as Justise Winslow -- Selden looks like a body builder, for crying out loud -- nevertheless Nichols has some muscle on him, and he'll be adding more weight this year. He is athletic, runs the floor very well, has very good hands and finishes. He didn't get the chance to showcase his outside shot, so I can't say much about that, but there was no doubt he belonged in this game. Maybe one comp for him would be Mark Alarie. Better athletically, but unknown if his J is as good as Alarie's was. If he's even close, that would be great -- Alarie was a major star.

Finally in the 2013's, Marcus Lee out of California. This kid is a long, tall drinka water. Skin-nee! Lee had some athletic blocks at the rim, including one of Austin Nichols, and he demonstrated very good defensive instincts and timing. But offensively, I didn't see anything at all. He scored one point in a game in which his team scored 138. He didn't demonstrate any skills at that end. Although I think he'll be a better defensive player than was Casey Sanders, his body type and lack of offensive skills remind me of Casey, even down to the airballed free throw. Seems like a project to me.

2014's: First, Tyus Jones. If you know anything about basketball and watch this kid for three minutes, you know he is a special player. He didn't even play all that well at the Elite 24, for him, but it doesn't matter. He is very smooth with the ball, sees the floor extremely well, and you can tell all the other kids love to play with him because he delivers the ball at the right time, right where they like it, and he does so willingly. He doesn't take any bad shots, even in an environment like this one. That's a really good sign.

One thing I did notice, though, is that on a couple of occasions Tyus was matched up one-on-one with Andrew Harrison, and Harrison got the better of him. Harrison drove past Tyus a couple of times and took it right to the hoop to score, while at the other end Harrison moved his feet very quickly and then bodied up on Jones and forced him to take much tougher shots than Tyus was planning on. But this is nitpicking, especially considering how good Harrison is. Tyus is a super-elite player; he would be a HUGE get for the Devils.

Finally, Justise Winslow. This kid is a much, much better athlete than I anticipated. He has a very thick, well developed body, but he is not floor bound by it at all. To the contrary, really. He scored a team-high 21 points and did so in a variety of ways -- drives to the hoop in traffic, short jumpers, getting out on the break, and put-back throw-downs. Kid was really impressive.

I also noticed that he is not afraid of a challenge defensively. On one occasion Andrew Harrison's twin brother Aaron, who is a major, major talent at shooting guard, had Justise one-on-one and tried to take him to the hoop. Winslow moved his feet, stayed in front of the very quick Harrison, and forced Harrison to retreat and end up taking a difficult three pointer instead of the layup he had been planning on. Great to see that kind of effort in a game like this.

Quick takes on non-Duke guys:

I thought the best player on the floor was 6'7" Aaron Gordon out of San Jose. This kid has a well-defined, muscled body. He has a very good handle, he can shoot it, he finishes in traffic, and he jumps out of the gym. He really can do it all. Gordon had the crowd ooh-ing and ah-ing all day with a series of spectacular plays. Just spectacular. My guess is it comes down to Washington and Arizona for him, but man, he's a real player.

Carolina signee Nate Britt is quick and has a very good handle, but his lefty shot is awkward. Think Derrick Phelps. And he shoots it too much. In a game filled with great passes by players of all shapes and sizes, I didn't see Britt make any. Color me not so impressed.

The Harrison brothers are excellent. Andrew is the point guard, and he's super quick with a great handle and gets to the rim easily, where he finishes strong. He reminds me of Will Avery, but maybe even a little quicker. Aaron is the shooting guard, and he's the prototypical athletic 5-star at that position. He's going to be very difficult to defend as well. Both twins are real stud ballplayers, and whoever gets them (Maryland? Kentucky? Gotta think Kentucky) is going to get two for the price of one -- I didn't mean anything by that -- and have a very, very strong backcourt for that season.

westwall
09-05-2012, 11:46 AM
Excellent report, Tommy. Thanks. Are there game rosters or a boxscore anywhere??

gumbomoop
09-05-2012, 12:43 PM
Add my thanks to tommy for great detail. I'm wondering if this will be repeated on TV, as I caught most of the last half, I think on ESPNU.

But it was hard to watch, as there's no D, not much of anything one could call "organized" play, lots of 1-on-1, pull-up 3-bombs, alley-oops, etc.

I sure like Austin Nichols, and can see why he's moving up in guru-land. Randle and Jones both top-notch.

roywhite
09-05-2012, 12:56 PM
Very good report, though honestly I'd guess you have done more research than watching the Elite 24 game, which I tried and found unwatchable; too much show and not enough defense.

I really like Nichols for 2013 and Winslow for 2014. I followed Winslow in the U-17 FIBA competition, and he was terrific, a real stat-sheet stuffer. Maybe a bit of Chris Carrawell, in terms of versatility, though his athleticism may be better (somewhere between C-Well and Maggette).

Again, just my hunch, but Nichols and Winslow may be in that sweet spot for college talent -- very good players but not sure one-and-dones.
And both good students, I believe.

tommy
09-05-2012, 01:53 PM
Excellent report, Tommy. Thanks. Are there game rosters or a boxscore anywhere??

I do have a boxscore, so PM me with your email and I'll get it to you.

Edouble
09-07-2012, 12:36 AM
Just want to say thank you for the great report. That took some time and effort, and was a better read than most sports articles. I love the Will Avery comparison.