Rasheed Sulaimon appreciation thread

[coldriver10]

I don't post here too often, but I wanted to extend my appreciation to Rasheed for what he's done for the team so far. I know he's in a shooting slump, but those shots that seem to practically be in and somehow find their way out of the rim will start falling soon. He brings such energy and effort to our team, particularly on defense...today he could have let his difficulties on the offensive side get him down, but he still managed to do a very impressive job limiting the sharpshooting Scott Wood. I'm thrilled he's on our team and hope he continues to stay aggressive and confident.

Much love, Rasheed. Go Duke!

[rsvman]

Amen, brother.

Rasheed played outstanding defense again today. He plays hard all the time. His shots will start to fall again soon.

Very happy to have him on the team.

[dukedoc]

After his fast start and impressive performances against some formidable foes early in the season, it is easy to forget he's a freshman. Even if he weren't, he'd be entitled to slump from time to time. He'll be fine. And yes, he is a very special young man. A big reason I'm so excited about this year's team, and (hopefully) next year's and the year after that as well. So very impressed with all of our young guys as players, but more importantly, as people. Sheed, Amile, Marshall, Alex. All great human beings. Wow.

[robobevan]

Rasheed has been great this year. We will need him to score going forward and he will. Better to slump now than in March. He did play great defense today. I don't think Woods scored from the field after his 4 point play. Go Sulaimon! We are rooting for you!

[davekay1971]

Agreed with all of the above. The kid's got great heart and great defense. When his shot is back on, he'll be back on pace as one of the top freshmen in the ACC. He's already a great contributor to this team, and he'll keep developing into a great player for Duke during his career.

[moonpie23]

his shot will start to fall again......this is called "getting game experience!"


go rasheed!!

[CDu]

I've been big on Sulaimon ever since I saw him in the McDonald's game in which he played great. Love the athleticism, love the defense. He appears to have fallen on hard times with his shooting/scoring. I think the inability to hit his layups is affecting the rest of his game offensively, and it is just a mental thing. But I'm glad to see that he hasn't let it affect his defense. He (along with Thornton) was very solid chasing Wood around screens. Sulaimon lost Wood twice in transition (both resulted in made threes, and Thornton made the dumb foul on the 4-point play. But aside from that, both were terrific and Wood didn't get another look.

Hopefully the extra time after the Ga Tech game will get Sulaimon back on track offensively. But it is a testament to the character of a player that he hasn't let it affect him on the other end of the court.

[Bluedevil114]

I love how hard Rasheed plays. He is aggressive and puts his defense first and that is what the coaching values in him. His shots are just missing so it is not as if he is shooting airballs or shooting contested shots. He has missed layups that will eventually fall, his three point shots are on the rim and sometimes in and out that will eventually fall. His three point shot from the top of the key rimmed out. I love this kid, he is a true Bluedevil!!! Rasheed will have some huge games in the ACC where he is our leading scorer as long as he continues to let the game come to him and not force his shots. Go Duke!!

[Native]

He's just in a slump. I think everyone can see just how talented Sheed is and how much he means to our team now and going forward. Dude hustles, is smart, and is a tenacious defender. His shot will come back and then the sky is the limit!

[roywhite]

Love the kid. He's really good on defense and likely to get even better. As was suggested by Kedsy in the NC State thread, maybe Rasheed should guard Lorenzo Brown (that leaves Seth to chase Scott Wood around, which is not ideal, but Brown is the more important player offensively).

As to his scoring, he needs to finish around the basket better, which will come from:
experience -- having the game slow down a bit for him
strength -- the ability to absorb contact and keep his balance; may take another year
confidence -- just working his way through things; can definitely happen as the season goes on

[Mike Corey]

Amen.

Rasheed is one of the best freshmen in the country, but to make the step to one of the best players in the country, you have to confront and get through the mental circus that is the freshmen slump. He'll get through it.

And hopefully right soon. :)

[scottdude8]

I'm a huge Sheed fan-I love his energy, his enthusiasm, and his obvious love of Duke. I think next year he may be our most important player, and his turnaround will be crucial for us to get to the Final 4 this year.

But, and this is just a thought-considering he IS struggling currently, wouldn't this be an opportunity to get Murphy 5-10 minutes a game in his slot? I know you have to play to get through a slump, but at some point I think taking 5 or 10 minutes of his PT and giving it to Murphy will benefit both of them, giving Sheed some motivation and less pressure (which might be the issue, he very well could be holding himself to too high a standard after his hot start) and giving Murphy a time to make his mark on the team as well. We know Murphy can score, maybe Sheed's struggles are his opportunity.

But again, I LOVE Sheed. I'm just wondering if maybe his current struggles might be handled differently.

[cptnflash]

I said before yesterday's game that we had to do two things to win - keep Scott Wood off the 3-point line, and get Richard Howell in foul trouble. We didn't do the second one, but thanks to Rasheed, we did the first one. Coming into the game, Wood had 90 3-point attempts in 15 games, averaging exactly 6 per game. Yesterday, he was limited to 3 attemps, just half of his season average. Great job Rasheed!

[tommy]

I don't think Rasheed has "hit the wall." That's something that comes, when it comes at all, later in the season, when a freshman gets worn down by playing a season longer than he's ever played before under stress he's never felt. Seems awfully early for that. This "slump" started in December -- I don't see how the kid would've been worn down already, and frankly, from the energy he still is bringing to the floor, he doesn't seem tired at all. He's just not playing well, in particular his shot isn't going down. I suspect it's the kind of thing where as soon as he sees a shot or two hit the bottom of the net he'll start to regain some confidence and his game will return. Hope so, anyway.

But the problem is what if that doesn't happen for awhile. Kelly is out. If Curry is out or hobbling, and Sheed is less and less of a threat outside, what do we have outside? Sure, Quinn can hit outside jumpshots, but you don't want him as your #1 option outside. He's at his best driving to the hoop and either finishing or dishing. If Sheed is still in a funk, and Seth is not able to either a) play at all or b) have any explosion enabling him to get past defenders with a dribble, then this team all of a sudden is pretty limited on the outside. We're going to see teams start to pack it in, even more doubling of Mason, and he's going to have to continue to improve -- quickly -- in his ability to pass out of doubles and hit cutters.

[jcastranio]

Again, my opinion. Use your superior first step and handle to gain an advantage, then stop and pop a mid-range jumper or dump a pass. I think that 12 footer is his most reliable shot, but he seems stuck on 3 pointer or layup. The other parts of his game are great.