MBB: Duke 84, Wofford 55 Post Game Thread

[kAzE]

Pretty good effort in the 2nd half, they kept it close in the first half mostly because we were fouling too much. Another monster game for Okafor, it's getting kind of ridiculous. I think he went 2-4 to start the game, then made 9 straight shots. I wdoner how it's going to be before people just foul him everytime he touches it down low. Double teaming him doesn't really work. It was fun to see MP3 in the game with him at the same time. It was actually kind of effective. Great first half from Winslow offensively, I'd love to see him go to the hoop more consistently. He's just so hard to stop when he gets a head of steam, but he hasn't been as aggressive for some reason lately. Overall, good win. Very good defense in the 2nd half. Wofford is a good team, so I think we played really well today.

[dukelifer]

Pretty good effort in the 2nd half, they kept it close in the first half mostly because we were fouling too much. Another monster game for Okafor, it's getting kind of ridiculous. I think he went 2-4 to start the game, then made 9 straight shots. It was fun to see MP3 in the game with him at the same time. It was actually kind of effective. Great first half from Winslow offensively, I'd love to see him go to the hoop more consistently. He's just so hard to stop when he gets a head of steam. He hasn't been as aggressive for some reason lately. Overall, good win. Very good defense in the 2nd half. Wofford is a good team, so I think we played really well today.

Okafor is so much better than the average college center that it is almost unfair. He looks like a man playing against a little kid. Duke needs another three point shooter. It would be great if Jones could be that guy but he is very inconsistent. Not sure if Allen can step up- but he has the best pure shot. This looks to be a second half team- which is a nice change. So far - I enjoy watching this team play.

[grossbus]

Frankly, I would rather see more Grayson and less Matt.

[superdave]

This makes two games in a row where Duke played poorly on the defensive end in the first half and turned it on defensively in the second half. They will not be able to get away with that in conference.

Everyone gave something in the two games this week. We never got everyone going at the same time, even for a stretch, but all the guys seem to know their role, which is a good sign. We will keep getting better. We may be rounding into exceptional form the next two months. I am excited.

Feliz Ano Novo, DBR. Have fun and stay safe.

[Bob Green]

Over the last five games, Matt Jones is 3-16 from the field, including 0-7 on 3PA. Yikes! He went 0-4 (0-1) today. Hopefully, he can shake this slump quickly.

[Duvall]

Frankly, I would rather see more Grayson and less Matt.

Why?

[MartyClark]

This makes two games in a row where Duke played poorly on the defensive end in the first half and turned it on defensively in the second half. They will not be able to get away with that in conference.

Everyone gave something in the two games this week. We never got everyone going at the same time, even for a stretch, but all the guys seem to know their role, which is a good sign. We will keep getting better. We may be rounding into exceptional form the next two months. I am excited.

Feliz Ano Novo, DBR. Have fun and stay safe.

Happy New Year to you also, Super Dave, and the rest of DBR. I have a big evening planned that likely involves falling asleep on the couch well before midnight.

It was a good game. Okafor was great, Winslow was great, other people stepped up when needed.

I'm looking forward to the start of ACC play. I'd like to see Matt and Rasheed pick it up offensively. I'll be in Louisville on the 17th for, hopefully, Coach K's 1,000th win.

Best wishes to everyone. I enjoy this board. Stay safe tonight and best wishes for the new year.

[yancem]

Why?

Because:


Over the last five games, Matt Jones is 3-16 from the field, including 0-7 on 3PA. Yikes! He went 0-4 (0-1) today. Hopefully, he can shake this slump quickly.

The last couple of games, MJones has just looked scared with the ball. I hope he can get his confidence back because he is solid on defense. I haven't seen enough of Allen to get a good feel for his defense but he is more aggressive offensively. It would be interesting to see what he can do if given some of MJones' minutes. Maybe he isn't ready (his minutes would suggest that is the case) but I haven't seen much to write home about from MJones for a few games now. Hopefully his shot returns but right now I hold my breath every time he shoots.

[roywhite]

Boxscore: Duke 84, Wofford 55 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209829899)

Reminded me of a prize fight where an overmatched but game challenger punches with the champion early but wears down and gets knocked around late.

Dominance by Duke in the second half:
43-21 score
Duke was 17-28 70.3% FG, including 5-8 from 3-Pt
Wofford was 10-27 37.0% FG, including 1-10 from 3-Pt

Tyus Jones was quiet but effective -- 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals

As G-Man said, it's a pleasure to watch Jahlil work down low -- right block, left block, right hand, left hand, spin moves, use of glass, etc. etc. Seems to be increasingly comfortable in working with his teammates.

[sagegrouse]

Okafor is so much better than the average college center that it is almost unfair. He looks like a man playing against a little kid. Duke needs another three point shooter. It would be great if Jones could be that guy but he is very inconsistent. Not sure if Allen can step up- but he has the best pure shot. This looks to be a second half team- which is a nice change. So far - I enjoy watching this team play.

One more college analog for Jahlil is Bill Walton -- another really skilled 6-11 performer. I was living in LA when he was at UCLA and saw him regularly on local TV. Walton was a better shooter (or at least had more range on his shots) but, like Okafor, was extremely skilled in his footwork and had great hands.

No question, Bill was a "Skinny Minnie" as a Bruin, but so were almost all college players, way back in the short pants era.

Also, in the 1970's there was no "Bill Walton voice" to scare little children and cause dogs to bark a half-mile away He had a deep voice but spoke normally.

Happy New Year,
Sage

[devildeac]

Boxscore: Duke 84, Wofford 55 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209829899)

Reminded me of a prize fight where an overmatched but game challenger punches with the champion early but wears down and gets knocked around late.

Dominance by Duke in the second half:
43-21 score
Duke was 17-28 70.3% FG, including 5-8 from 3-Pt
Wofford was 10-27 37.0% FG, including 1-10 from 3-Pt

Tyus Jones was quiet but effective -- 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals

As G-Man said, it's a pleasure to watch Jahlil work down low -- right block, left block, right hand, left hand, spin moves, use of glass, etc. etc. Seems to be increasingly comfortable in working with his teammates.

Big Jah makes it look almost effortless on the offensive end many times. Did my eyes deceive me or did he go up once with the left hand and then switch to the right hand in the process as he scored with a little bank shot?

[gocanes0506]

I think its not about another 3 point shooter. Amile Jefferson needs a 10-15 foot jumper. Every team will double Big Oak. If Jefferson could get a jumper going it would make it harder to shadow off Jefferson.

[Saratoga2]

I understand they were their conference champions last year and are still an experienced team this year. They were tenacious in the game and didn't turn the ball over that much despite the heavy pressure Duke applied (moreso as the game wore on). They had some clever screens and their shooters got their shots away quickly. For quite a while and essentially for the entire first half they were competitive, except they did acquire a lot of fouls which hampered them later. Like Toledo, they were quick if a little undersized and crashed the glass to counter our size advantage.

I thought Duke was a little lethargic again to start. The defense was a little slow to react to screens and Wofford was getting open shots. Later on we used virtually all of our scholarship players to keep the pressure on and it started to show results in the second half.

First tonight was the use of the twin tower approach and it worked well. Jahlil is incredible out their. What more can you say about him. Just please don't get hurt. MP3 looked okay out there and it helps to have him get PT and integrate into the team play. He knows his role and fills it. Good foul shooting from him.

Justise used his strength and quickness to get to the rim and when fouled made his foul shots. He showed the ability to hit the 3 if they backed off to stop his penetration. He does a lot of things well defensively and has a major role on this team. Amile also knows his role and has a lot of defensive skill. Think how hard it would be to play against someone of his size who is that mobile and also knows the defensive system.

Both Quinn and Tyus played well and fill their roles. Everyone makes mistakes at times out there and Rasheed seems to have flashes of brilliance and then slips into thoughtless plays like fouling as the ball is being brought up. I still wonder if he is trying so hard that he thinks more about how he is being perceived than what he needs to do in game situations. Matt still needs to get untracked so that he gets and takes good shots. He also seems to be trying too hard rather than trusting his skills and taking what comes to him in the game.

This is a good win for Duke against a determined and skillful team. Onward!

[Duke95]

I think its not about another 3 point shooter. Amile Jefferson needs a 10-15 foot jumper. Every team will double Big Oak. If Jefferson could get a jumper going it would make it harder to shadow off Jefferson.

This. +1. If Amile had a decent medium-range jump shot, we would be significantly better.

[jv001]

This. +1. If Amile had a decent medium-range jump shot, we would be significantly better.

Lance Thomas developed a respectable mid range jumper his senior year and many thought that could never happen. I would hope that Amile improves at the FT line and develops a mid range jumper. GoDuke!

[Olympic Fan]

Because:



The last couple of games, MJones has just looked scared with the ball. I hope he can get his confidence back because he is solid on defense. I haven't seen enough of Allen to get a good feel for his defense but he is more aggressive offensively. It would be interesting to see what he can do if given some of MJones' minutes. Maybe he isn't ready (his minutes would suggest that is the case) but I haven't seen much to write home about from MJones for a few games now. Hopefully his shot returns but right now I hold my breath every time he shoots.

This reaction is amazing to me ... in his postgame comments, K made it clear that Matt Jones was his player of the game.

He raved about the defensive lift Matt gave the team: "He's our best defender."

You aren't going to see less of Matt in the immediate future, no matter what his shooting percentage.

BTW: I don't think Duke's first half defense was weak. We have up one (1) easy basket. We fouled a bit too much, but so did Wofford -- the refs were calling it as close as any game this season (and in the second half, the striped shirts backed off and neither team reached the on-and-one). Wofford hit some really tough shots, but still shot just 37 percent for the half. If there was a defensive flaw, it was the number of offensive rebounds Duke allowed.

The defense was better in the second half -- in fact, it was superb. It was so good that in contrast, it may have made the first half defense look bad, It wasn't -- it was solid.

[jv001]

This reaction is amazing to me ... in his postgame comments, K made it clear that Matt Jones was his player of the game.

He raved about the defensive lift Matt gave the team: "He's our best defender."

You aren't going to see less of Matt in the immediate future, no matter what his shooting percentage.

BTW: I don't think Duke's first half defense was weak. We have up one (1) easy basket. We fouled a bit too much, but so did Wofford -- the refs were calling it as close as any game this season (and in the second half, the striped shirts backed off and neither team reached the on-and-one). Wofford hit some really tough shots, but still shot just 37 percent for the half. If there was a defensive flaw, it was the number of offensive rebounds Duke allowed.
The defense was better in the second half -- in fact, it was superb. It was so good that in contrast, it may have made the first half defense look bad, It wasn't -- it was solid.

I agree on poor defensive rebounding. I think Wofford out rebounded Duke 18-17 in the first half, but Duke rebounded much better in the 2nd half. I think Jah has two weaknesses: defensive rebounding and poor foul shooting. If he can improve on these two areas, he'll be unstoppable. GoDuke!

[Clay Feet POF]

This. +1. If Amile had a decent medium-range jump shot, we would be significantly better.



When MP3 is in with Okafor I'll like to see if Marshall could made that inside the key shot that Amile seems scare to take. That shots around the FT line and Marshall's stroke in that area looks good.

[FerryFor50]

Lance Thomas developed a respectable mid range jumper his senior year and many thought that could never happen. I would hope that Amile improves at the FT line and develops a mid range jumper. GoDuke!

Amile already has developed a decent mid-range shot and is still working on it. You can see his stroke is better at the FT line and I've seen him make the mid-range jumper against teams like Wisconsin.

He just doesn't jack them up at will yet.

[gam7]

This. +1. If Amile had a decent medium-range jump shot, we would be significantly better.

The two midrange jumpers Amile hit vs. Wisc, plus the two (I think) acrobatic Matt Jones driving buckets in the same game were the difference between that game being a 10 point win vs. a coin flip. There will be opportunities for Amile to hit that shot again in highly competitive, close games and we will really need those points.

[Duke95]

When MP3 is in with Okafor I'll like to see if Marshall could made that inside the key shot that Amile seems scare to take. That shots around the FT line and Marshall's stroke in that area looks good.

If Marshall or Amile could be a threat there, it would extend the defense and lighten the load on Okafor tremendously.

[FerryFor50]

This reaction is amazing to me ... in his postgame comments, K made it clear that Matt Jones was his player of the game.

He raved about the defensive lift Matt gave the team: "He's our best defender."

You aren't going to see less of Matt in the immediate future, no matter what his shooting percentage.

BTW: I don't think Duke's first half defense was weak. We have up one (1) easy basket. We fouled a bit too much, but so did Wofford -- the refs were calling it as close as any game this season (and in the second half, the striped shirts backed off and neither team reached the on-and-one). Wofford hit some really tough shots, but still shot just 37 percent for the half. If there was a defensive flaw, it was the number of offensive rebounds Duke allowed.

The defense was better in the second half -- in fact, it was superb. It was so good that in contrast, it may have made the first half defense look bad, It wasn't -- it was solid.

I noticed that Wofford had a shift in their offensive philosophy in the 2nd half for a bit. They were running a lot of ball screens to free up 3 point shooters and were just jacking up 3s for a period in the 2nd half. That's when Duke built up the comfortable lead. Prior to that, Wofford had been taking mid-range and inside shots with some success.

That might have contributed to Duke's improved defense.

As for Matt Jones, I agree with you - he's an important player on the defensive end. He's this year's Tyler Thornton. People are going to whine about him all the time, but he's going to make hustle plays and play solid defense and knock down an occasional 3 and help Duke win games.

As for today's game, he took 1 wide open 3. He missed a few inside looks. None of his shots were poor decisions. That's all I ask for - take smart shots. People act like Matt Jones gets on the floor and just jacks up terrible shots over and over. His biggest problem today was fouling, though some of the ones called on him were ticky tack.

Food for thought... The below are stat lines of 2 players on this year's Duke team.

18.9 mpg 43.5% FG (2.5-5.6), 50% from 2, 34.6% from 3, 1.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, .8 steals, .7 blocks, 1.4 turnovers, 7 ppg
17.0 mpg 50% FG (1.9-3.8), 61% from 2, 41.7% from 3, 1.4 rebounds, .6 assists, .7 steals, .7 turnovers, 5.5 ppg

Not too far off, but one of the players is Matt Jones, who people insist on Grayson Allen playing over. The other is Rasheed Sulaimon, who no one has said should give up minutes to Allen. Sulaimon shoots worse, takes more shots and turns it over twice as much. They both foul pretty much the same.

Why do people keep thinking Jones is such a terrible player?

[MChambers]

Food for thought... The below are stat lines of 2 players on this year's Duke team.

18.9 mpg 43.5% FG (2.5-5.6), 50% from 2, 34.6% from 3, 1.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, .8 steals, .7 blocks, 1.4 turnovers, 7 ppg
17.0 mpg 50% FG (1.9-3.8), 61% from 2, 41.7% from 3, 1.4 rebounds, .6 assists, .7 steals, .7 turnovers, 5.5 ppg

Not too far off, but one of the players is Matt Jones, who people insist on Grayson Allen playing over. The other is Rasheed Sulaimon, who no one has said should give up minutes to Allen. Sulaimon shoots worse, takes more shots and turns it over twice as much. They both foul pretty much the same.

Why do people keep thinking Jones is such a terrible player?
i completely agree that Matt Jones is a valuable player, but think the statistical comparison to Sulaimon is flawed. Sulaimon frequently is being asked to initiate the offense, especially when he's in with mostly bench playes; Jones is just being asked to shoot open jumpers.

[FerryFor50]

i completely agree that Matt Jones is a valuable player, but think the statistical comparison to Sulaimon is flawed. Sulaimon frequently is being asked to initiate the offense, especially when he's in with mostly bench playes; Jones is just being asked to shoot open jumpers.

Not really. Jones has become a more aggressive driver (much more dynamic than TT was). Jones is also being asked to play terrific defense.

My point wasn't that Jones was better than Sulaimon, but that the thing people knock Jones for (not hitting shots) is flawed because he hits them at a greater rate than a player no one says should sit.

[dukelifer]

I agree on poor defensive rebounding. I think Wofford out rebounded Duke 18-17 in the first half, but Duke rebounded much better in the 2nd half. I think Jah has two weaknesses: defensive rebounding and poor foul shooting. If he can improve on these two areas, he'll be unstoppable. GoDuke!

He has a decent stroke from the line but he needs to make it consistent. Teams will be fouling him in big games. Free throw shooting could be an issue this year from all but the guards.

[Henderson]

Why do people keep thinking Jones is such a terrible player?

Better question: Who on here has ever expressed the thought that Matt Jones is a "terrible player"?

[kAzE]

Better question: Who on here has ever expressed the thought that Matt Jones is a "terrible player"?

He's definitely not "terrible." Matt Jones would destroy any of us in basketball, I think that goes without saying. Matt is big enough to defend 2s and 3s, and even 4s in a pinch. That versatility probably makes him a much more attractive option to the coaches as a defender out on the floor when compared to Grayson Allen. He's one of the most physical guys on the team and absolutely hustles on D, but you kind of have to admit, he's becoming a liability on offense. Anyone who watches the tape is going to realize he's not much of a threat, which is going to hurt our spacing and clog the paint. Having the "reputation" of a shooter only works for like 2-3 games. People aren't going to guard you if you don't hit shots. I like Matt, but if Allen is hitting 3s, I think it would be interesting if Coach K just rolled with him to see how it goes. He's not as big or as good a rebounder as Matt, but he competes on D and dives for loose balls with just as much effort. Until Matt shows he can actually string a couple of good shooting games together, I don't think he's going to get much respect from opposing defenders. I like Matt and his aggressiveness on D (I do wish he would foul a little bit less often), but at the same time, you just gotta hit those wide open shots. Clearly, he's doing enough in practice to get minutes over Allen, and he has the favor of the coaches, but it's hard to defend what he's done offensively as of late.

[FireOgilvie]

+/- from SCACCHoops:

Quinn +24
Tyus +22
Matt +20
Jahlil +17
Justise +13
Marshall +12
Rasheed +11
Grayson +10
Amile +6

We had a big surge in the last few minutes after the game was essentially decided. Grayson was +10 in 4 minutes.

[Duke3517]

I have really enjoyed watching this team this year! They have a lot of talent. As long as Duke stays level headed and stays within the moment they will go deep in the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA has seen over the last 4 years two of the most talented centers the game has ever seen in Okafor and Davis. Okafor is just a beast to handle inside. Boston college next!

[DevilSpawn]

Caveat - Amile is one of my favorite players on the team - he's doing a great job and this is constructive advice:

He's got to start taking/making that shot - make the defense pay. A quick spot up needs to be in his repertoire. He can help the team now and make a great living at the next level nailing those quick jumpers in addition to his other strengths.

Another option for him in this situation with his height and length is to take a step or two at the basket. He can 1) Make the shot 2) Initiate contact, get fouled and go to the line, or 3) Feed to Oak or a cutter.

Amile has good skills and touch when he's close in to the side of the basket (often with his back to the basket) - he's needs to shore up his shot/move when he's at the high post and facing the goal. All in good time, I hope.

[JohnJ]

Not too far off, but one of the players is Matt Jones, who people insist on Grayson Allen playing over. The other is Rasheed Sulaimon, who no one has said should give up minutes to Allen. Sulaimon shoots worse, takes more shots and turns it over twice as much. They both foul pretty much the same.

Why do people keep thinking Jones is such a terrible player?

I have thought this a number of times. However, after watching Rasheed play for years, I have a vested, emotional interest in wanting him to do well that I will never give up on him. I don't yet have that investment in Matt - but it's coming.

I suspect this is the case for a lot of Duke fans.

[arnie]

Not really. Jones has become a more aggressive driver (much more dynamic than TT was). Jones is also being asked to play terrific defense.

My point wasn't that Jones was better than Sulaimon, but that the thing people knock Jones for (not hitting shots) is flawed because he hits them at a greater rate than a player no one says should sit.

Matt Jones plays hard and is a defensive asset - therefore, I think he should play. Our starting five are a great offensive machine, but let's not forget how poor our defense was last year. Adding strong defensive perimeter players throughout the game seems an obvious strategy. Wish Sheed could slow it down a bit, but we need his minutes.

[FerryFor50]

Better question: Who on here has ever expressed the thought that Matt Jones is a "terrible player"?

A little hyperbole - no one has said "terrible." But plenty have incorrectly said he's a "bad shooter" (you don't hit 50% from the field and 42% from 3 by accident) and plenty have said Grayson should play more minutes than Jones.

I like Allen, but when I have seen him in games, he's a little overmatched physically. He's knocked off his spot easily and isn't real strong with the ball. And he's not even close to the defender Matt is.

I would like to see Allen *earn* more minutes, but it's looking more and more like Allen will be the last off the bench for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he'll come on late in the season like Elliot Williams did his freshman year, but that was more out of necessity than anything. And Williams was a superior defender.

Allen will get his minutes likely next year.

[FerryFor50]

Matt Jones plays hard and is a defensive asset - therefore, I think he should play. Our starting five are a great offensive machine, but let's not forget how poor our defense was last year. Adding strong defensive perimeter players throughout the game seems an obvious strategy. Wish Sheed could slow it down a bit, but we need his minutes.

This is also a good point - the team is an offensive juggernaut (#1 in Kenpom) with or without Matt Jones. We saw similar offense last year.

This year, however, the team is also good defensively (#15 in kenpom!). That's partly because of Jones (and mostly because of Winslow/Okafor). You need glue guys on championship teams. You need guys that don't need to shoot 10 times a game to be successful or handle the ball most of the possession. There's only one ball, and that ball should be going to Okafor for a majority of the possessions, with occasional scoring from Cook, Tyus and Winslow.

The only real issue with Matt's offensive struggles right now is when he's on the floor with Jefferson and Plumlee at the same time. But even then he can contribute.

[Duvall]

He's definitely not "terrible." Matt Jones would destroy any of us in basketball, I think that goes without saying. Matt is big enough to defend 2s and 3s, and even 4s in a pinch. That versatility probably makes him a much more attractive option to the coaches as a defender out on the floor when compared to Grayson Allen. He's one of the most physical guys on the team and absolutely hustles on D, but you kind of have to admit, he's becoming a liability on offense. Anyone who watches the tape is going to realize he's not much of a threat, which is going to hurt our spacing and clog the paint. Having the "reputation" of a shooter only works for like 2-3 games. People aren't going to guard you if you don't hit shots. I like Matt, but if Allen is hitting 3s, I think it would be interesting if Coach K just rolled with him to see how it goes. He's not as big or as good a rebounder as Matt, but he competes on D and dives for loose balls with just as much effort.

Isn't that wishful thinking, though? Allen hasn't really competed on D - or at least competed well - in the minutes he's gotten against quality opponents.

[Neals384]

+/- from SCACCHoops:

Quinn +24
Tyus +22
Matt +20
Jahlil +17
Justise +13
Marshall +12
Rasheed +11
Grayson +10
Amile +6

We had a big surge in the last few minutes after the game was essentially decided. Grayson was +10 in 4 minutes.

Unfortunately, SCACCHoops is not always accurate. The numbers you list add up to only 135. 29*5 = 145. Please refer to the Season +/- sticky for the correct numbers.

[sagegrouse]

Here's Coach:


I go by feel in a game. We went big. It was the first time for a few extended minutes we had Marshall and Jah[lil Okafor] in. And we’ll look at that more going forward because Marshall’s playing well. I don’t want him to just be behind Jah. Marshall’s such a good athlete that he can defend the four. He can go out and put pressure. He’s very athletic.

[Furniture]

A little hyperbole - no one has said "terrible." But plenty have incorrectly said he's a "bad shooter" (you don't hit 50% from the field and 42% from 3 by accident) and plenty have said Grayson should play more minutes than Jones.

I like Allen, but when I have seen him in games, he's a little overmatched physically. He's knocked off his spot easily and isn't real strong with the ball. And he's not even close to the defender Matt is.

I would like to see Allen *earn* more minutes, but it's looking more and more like Allen will be the last off the bench for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he'll come on late in the season like Elliot Williams did his freshman year, but that was more out of necessity than anything. And Williams was a superior defender.

Allen will get his minutes likely next year.

This is spot on and sums it up well....

[arnie]

I would like to see Allen *earn* more minutes, but it's looking more and more like Allen will be the last off the bench for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he'll come on late in the season like Elliot Williams did his freshman year, but that was more out of necessity than anything. And Williams was a superior defender.

Allen will get his minutes likely next year.

Actually his minutes may not come till his Junior year. If Kennard is is a JJ clone as advertised and none of the backcourt players leave early, I don't see an appreciable increase for Allen. Hope he's patient!

Incidentally, I'm in Myrtle Beach this week and the local commentators are going nuts over Kennard. The local Beach Ball tourney has included Kobe, G Hill and many, many other superstars. The local guys have seen HS talent and to hear the raves about Kennard is exciting news.

[jv001]

Here's Coach:

I guess Coach K answered my question regarding Plumlee in his presser. Marshall is an athletic player who is getting better. I watched the game again last night and was pretty impressed with the way Marshall moved on the court. He's become a good defender and he's getting it now. The only problem would be when he's in the game with Amile and Matt. That lineup will not score many points. That's 3/5 guys that cannot score from mid-range and beyond. But they would do well on defense but just not score much. GoDuke!

[Duke95]

I have thought this a number of times. However, after watching Rasheed play for years, I have a vested, emotional interest in wanting him to do well that I will never give up on him. I don't yet have that investment in Matt - but it's coming.

I suspect this is the case for a lot of Duke fans.

Well said. That's the same for me. I really want Rasheed to do well.

Rasheed will succeed.

[chadlee989]

A little hyperbole - no one has said "terrible." But plenty have incorrectly said he's a "bad shooter" (you don't hit 50% from the field and 42% from 3 by accident) and plenty have said Grayson should play more minutes than Jones.

I like Allen, but when I have seen him in games, he's a little overmatched physically. He's knocked off his spot easily and isn't real strong with the ball. And he's not even close to the defender Matt is.

I would like to see Allen *earn* more minutes, but it's looking more and more like Allen will be the last off the bench for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he'll come on late in the season like Elliot Williams did his freshman year, but that was more out of necessity than anything. And Williams was a superior defender.

Allen will get his minutes likely next year.

I am not in the camp that thinks that Matt should not be playing as much. I like what he brings to the team(hustle, great defense, good rebounder). TT was my favorite player the last 4 years so i get it. But as your numbers show he has a good shooting percentage. However, the last time he made a 3 was Nov 26th against Furman. In our last 6 games he is 0 for 8. In that same time frame Sheed has went 6 for 16.

[Saratoga2]

A little hyperbole - no one has said "terrible." But plenty have incorrectly said he's a "bad shooter" (you don't hit 50% from the field and 42% from 3 by accident) and plenty have said Grayson should play more minutes than Jones.

I like Allen, but when I have seen him in games, he's a little overmatched physically. He's knocked off his spot easily and isn't real strong with the ball. And he's not even close to the defender Matt is.

I would like to see Allen *earn* more minutes, but it's looking more and more like Allen will be the last off the bench for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he'll come on late in the season like Elliot Williams did his freshman year, but that was more out of necessity than anything. And Williams was a superior defender.

Allen will get his minutes likely next year.

I like the aproach of making constructive comments about players without diminishing their efforts. Yes Matt is having problems with his shot during this recent period as he did for much of last year. Lets hope his confidence returns as the season progresses as we can use his contribution. He is a very good defender so that he will still get plenty of PT. Grayson is a freshman trying to adapt to the speed and physicality of the game. He will make mistakes during games but his effort has been terrific and he is known to be a good shooter. Did you notice how happy his team mates were for him when he hit the 3 late? Rasheed is a junior now and his mistakes seem to be mental. Fouling when a ball is just being brought up the floor or trying to dribble through a double team would not worry me if they were isolated cases, but them seem to occur often in every game. He is high valued player and shows flashes of brilliance. I guess that he is trying to hard and is too amped up to think through what he is doing. Notice how Quinn has refined his game so that his mistakes are down this year (still some but no one is perfect). Rasheed, Matt and Grayson all have issues and we are all pulling for them to improve. PT will be allocated based on the needs of the game. I hated losing Semi this year and don't want that situation to be repeated.

[jimsumner]

I'm curious about the criticism of Jefferson's offense from yesterday. He scored 10 points in 18 foul-plagued minutes, making four-of-six from the line and getting inside off the dribble several times. He did miss his only mid-range jumper and I do not think that is going to be a strength this season. But if he can hit the offensive boards, get inside off the dribble and flash to the basket when Okafor is double-teamed, he's going to be an offensive asset. And we all know about his defense and rebounding.

[weezie]

I agree Jim. In many ways Amile reminds me of Singler in the way he gets to where the rebound is coming. Nothing but upside in Amile's game.

[jv001]

I'm curious about the criticism of Jefferson's offense from yesterday. He scored 10 points in 18 foul-plagued minutes, making four-of-six from the line and getting inside off the dribble several times. He did miss his only mid-range jumper and I do not think that is going to be a strength this season. But if he can hit the offensive boards, get inside off the dribble and flash to the basket when Okafor is double-teamed, he's going to be an offensive asset. And we all know about his defense and rebounding.

Amile is key in Duke being a FF team imho. He's a good defender, good rebounder and probably the best communicator on the team. When I comment on his shooting, I'm not being negative toward Amile, but commenting on how he can improve as a college basketball player. Every player on the team has some things that they can improve on. Not just Amile. This team has played extremely well but has not reached it's ceiling and that's a good thing. GoDuke!

[grossbus]

Why?

See the post immediately preceding yours.

I don't think his defense is good enough to overcome this. Jah needs effective shooters on the perimeter. Matt has proven last year and this that he is not the shooter we thought him to be. His jump shot release is odd looking.

[jipops]

See the post immediately preceding yours.

I don't think his defense is good enough to overcome this. Jah needs effective shooters on the perimeter. Matt has proven last year and this that he is not the shooter we thought him to be. His jump shot release is odd looking.

I said this earlier in the season, Matt is a feast or famine shooter. I believe earlier in the season he hit something like 5 in a row. Sitting him out of the rotation in favor of Grayson for the long term would be a bad move. Doing so would destroy his confidence and make us a lesser team defensively, which is not something K wants after last season. And K has always urged a kid to keep shooting and that has usually worked out for the better.

Now I could possibly see K bringing Grayson off the bench before Matt in the next game just to try to change some looks. But if this does happen it will not be long term.

[azzefkram]

A better game overall IMHO. It was interesting to see the twin towers out there. I liked what I saw with the usual caveats of SSS. I don't see it being a significant part of the rotation but an interesting wrinkle thrown in now and then. I thought the starters played well. The bench was a bit of a mixed bag. Matt's shot is still missing but I like the fact that he's taking it to the hoop instead of just huckin' threes up there. His defensive intensity is top notch. We got some positive minutes from MP3 but I think someone must butter his hands at times. I love his max effort but someone get him WR gloves. Sheed's a bit of a concern. He's a junior but I feel he's regressed each year he's been here. For all the guff Quinn takes, I am shocked at how Sheed is given a pass.

I don't get the Grayson love at this time. He's definitely intriguing but right now he reminds me a bit too much of Pocius, a lot of highlight stuff in garbage time masking some pretty shaky D. I think he will be a great player for us just not this year.

I am excited for the next phase to start.

[grossbus]

I didn't say I wanted Matt benched, just that I wanted to see more of Grayson and less of Matt.

I paid close attention to Matt on D yesterday and I am not sure I see why so many are so high on his defense. I think it is OK, but nut remarkable. He was out of position frequently and that led to fouls.

I think matt's shooting action is suspect and unreliable.

I want Grayson to get game experience so he can contribute later in the season.

[jipops]

I didn't say I wanted Matt benched, just that I wanted to see more of Grayson and less of Matt.

I paid close attention to Matt on D yesterday and I am not sure I see why so many are so high on his defense. I think it is OK, but nut remarkable. He was out of position frequently and that led to fouls.

I think matt's shooting action is suspect and unreliable.

I want Grayson to get game experience so he can contribute later in the season.

K and others see some things with Matt's D that you don't then. K did call him our "best defender".

Grayson seems like that classic case on this board. Since he's a kid that barely plays he must bring more to the table than a kid who is playing that is currently struggling.

Grayson has gotten some, albeit little, game experience and so far the results are a bit of a mixed bag. If he's not a part of the rotation by now there is almost no chance he will be with ACC play now starting.

[timmy c]

I agree Jim. In many ways Amile reminds me of Singler in the way he gets to where the rebound is coming. Nothing but upside in Amile's game.

I never thought about an Amile/Singler comparison. He is sort of a position-less player who seems to figure out a way to contribute. In some ways he reminds me of Lance Thomas.

[Henderson]

I am not in the camp that thinks that Matt should not be playing as much. I like what he brings to the team(hustle, great defense, good rebounder). TT was my favorite player the last 4 years so i get it. But as your numbers show he has a good shooting percentage. However, the last time he made a 3 was Nov 26th against Furman. In our last 6 games he is 0 for 8. In that same time frame Sheed has went 6 for 16.

I thought Matt played very good defense in the second half against Wofford. It's true he's been in a shooting slump these last few games, but I really liked his defensive game against Wofford.

He may be our Dudley Bradley, who as a sophomore shot 34% but earned PT his last two years with his defense and shot over 50% as a senior. Even then, he was known as a defensive specialist, but going 13th in the 1st round of the draft and carving out a long NBA career in that capacity. He was a bit longer than Matt, but not by much.

Like so many others, I love Sheed even though my blood pressure goes up sometimes when he has the ball. So I'm not an advocate of playing Matt over Rasheed when PT is distributed. Matt's a soph, and Sheed is a junior. Matt's role will expand as his time comes and his experience grows.

I feel similarly about Grayson. Huge fan, but his time is later. Make no mistake, though, I believe his time will come. He hasn't been playing big minutes, and aside from a boo-boo here and there, acquits himself well and shows flashes of that potential. His minutes against Wofford, I thought, were a good case in point.

[ncexnyc]

A tough crowd here. Three straight double digit wins, with yesterday's margin being 29 and we still have quite a bit of nitpicking going on.

I'll just talk about a few players in general to keep this short.

Rasheed currently reminds me of Andre. No, their games aren't similar, but both had/have people pulling for them like crazy based on their potential. I'm wondering if we have reached the point with Rasheed where we need to admit, what you see is what you get. I will say that Rasheed constantly brings it on the defensive end of the court, so if he never becomes a consistent offensive force then I can live with that.

Matt plays D and that's why he's getting the minutes he is. Considering our scoring average as a team, it's very easy to play Matt instead of Allen. I like the way Matt takes to ball to the basket as well, so unless the team starts to falter offensively, I doubt we'll see a lot of Mr. Allen.

MP3 is making progress. Not surprising at all considering his bothers did the same. Basically you had an uber athletic group of kids who by in high school on their physical gifts and once they got to Duke had to develop their basketball skills. A couple of minutes here and there in the Twin Towers set-up will work just fine.

This team has all the parts, I like their future.

[dukelifer]

I didn't say I wanted Matt benched, just that I wanted to see more of Grayson and less of Matt.

I paid close attention to Matt on D yesterday and I am not sure I see why so many are so high on his defense. I think it is OK, but nut remarkable. He was out of position frequently and that led to fouls.

I think matt's shooting action is suspect and unreliable.

I want Grayson to get game experience so he can contribute later in the season.

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

[uh_no]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

can be lots of things...nerves, the extra foot, not being able to get the type of shot he wants (wide open, step in, off the dribble....honestly don't know what he did in HS).

I'm hoping he can figure it out....but Matt's doing the right thing. Play tough defense, and you'll stay out there. TT and lance did it for 4 years. He'll come around, I hope.

[FerryFor50]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

Yea that 42% from 3 and 50% overall from the field is really subpar...

[Marc81]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

I was watching him during the blue white scrimmage this year during warmups he was shooting three pointers almost the entire time and didn't miss many. He would go on stretches where he would hit what seemed like 15-20 in a row. Now I know that there is a big difference from hitting them in warmups and in the game but the kid can shoot. I know he doesn't have the prettiest form but I think it is more of a confidence thing then anything. I'm rooting for him though. Every time he puts up a shot I'm just hoping it goes in. I also like his aggressiveness on Defense and putting the ball on the floor on offense which he hasn't seemed to do as much the last few games. If he would take the ball to the basket a few times and get some easy baskets in close I think his three balls would fall a lot better.

[uh_no]

I was watching him during the blue white scrimmage this year during warmups he was shooting three pointers almost the entire time and didn't miss many. He would go on stretches where he would hit what seemed like 15-20 in a row. Now I know that there is a big difference from hitting them in warmups and in the game but the kid can shoot. I know he doesn't have the prettiest form but I think it is more of a confidence thing then anything. I'm rooting for him though. Every time he puts up a shot I'm just hoping it goes in. I also like his aggressiveness on Defense and putting the ball on the floor on offense which he hasn't seemed to do as much the last few games. If he would take the ball to the basket a few times and get some easy baskets in close I think his three balls would fall a lot better.

I think we're a bit spoiled by all these great freshmen, really. He's been decent....but he's still a sophomore. It took Nolan until his junior year to really come around....the only difference is he's playing with what seem like NBA ready center and PG, along with a senior SG. He'll get there, I think. We just need to be patient.

[dukelifer]

Yea that 42% from 3 and 50% overall from the field is really subpar...

I actually like Matt and believe he brings something significant to the team. I used the word bust as that is how he was being discussed in this thread. That said- his last 6 games have been really subpar. Maybe as the schedule becomes more steady he will regain his early season form. Right now- he is in a big time slump.

[FerryFor50]

I actually like Matt and believe he brings something significant to the team. I used the word bust as that is how he was being discussed in this thread. That said- his last 6 games have been really subpar. Maybe as the schedule becomes more steady he will regain his early season form. Right now- he is in a big time slump.

Yes, he's not shooting well lately. But he's also not taking a ton of shots, so it doesn't kill Duke's offense any more than when another player misses a shot.

He'll come around. But he knows his role - defense, first.

[Edouble]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best dunker in the class somehow never posterizes anybody in games. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his legs and it will simply take time before he bounces back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his dunking above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

[jv001]

Duke has 3 wing players on the bench that would be getting more minutes with most other teams in the conference. Maybe not starter minutes, but more minutes. 1) Rasheed is a very good defender and one that Coach K has said is our best on the ball defender. He's going to get minutes because of his defense alone. He's not a bad offensive player, but he's having a tough time figuring out what his job is on a team with so much talent. I think he'll get it and be a key player during ACC play. 2) Matt Jones is a very good defender just like Rasheed and Coach K has said he's a good defender. So, like Rasheed, he's going to get his minutes. But unlike Rasheed, Matt knows his job on this team. His job is to play great defense, hustle and make a occasional 3 pointer and drive the ball to the basket as well. I like Matt, but I don't like his shooting form(as I've said before). But I don't care how bad it looks if it's going in the basket. Right now Matt's struggling with his shot, but he'll play because of his defense. 3) Grayson is a good kid that is suppose to be a good shooter and a driver of the ball. His defense is not bad, but it's not on the level of Matt and Rasheed. I think Grayson will go the way of two former Duke guys that are similar in size to Grayson. One is Marty Clark who had a career 5.3 ppg shooting .482 FG% and .374 3%. His junior year he played 19 mpg and his senior year he played 21.1 mpg. His senior year he averaged 8.1 ppg. The other player is Marty Pocius. His career ppg was 1.8, his FG% was .395 and his 3 point % was .250. Many on this board begged for Coach K to play him, but he only averaged 6.1 mpg his senior year. I think Grayson will be more like Marty Clark, but like Marty his time will probably come his junior and senior year. I hope I'm wrong about Grayson because he seems to be a good kid and a hard worker. I actually would like to see him more like Scheyer or JJ. Now that would be wonderful. Just my thought. GoDuke!

[sagegrouse]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best dunker in the class somehow never posterizes anybody in games. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his legs and it will simply take time before he bounces back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his dunking above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.

Well, first of all, his "name" is becoming established and neither Doris Burke nor I are calling him "Alan Grayson" any more.

Second, it's no longer a dunk contest: the inside guys in college are tall trees, so Grayson will need some really good penetration moves.

Third, he seems to be the guy throwing the release pass to a streaking Tyus or Quinn; he needs to get some turnabout plays, where he's the guy receiving the pass on breakaways.

[gam7]

I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best shooter in the class somehow has become an offensive bust. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his shot and it will simply take time before it is back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his shooting above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.


I am trying to understand how a kid who was widely regarded as the best dunker in the class somehow never posterizes anybody in games. I wonder if the strength training he is now doing has affected his legs and it will simply take time before he bounces back. It is strange- as almost every expert lauded his dunking above all else when he was in high school. Something happened.


Well, first of all, his "name" is becoming established and neither Doris Burke nor I are calling him "Alan Grayson" any more.

Second, it's no longer a dunk contest: the inside guys in college are tall trees, so Grayson will need some really good penetration moves.

Third, he seems to be the guy throwing the release pass to a streaking Tyus or Quinn; he needs to get some turnabout plays, where he's the guy receiving the pass on breakaways.

I think Edouble was applying dukelifer's argument about Matt Jones to Grayson Allen (in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way) to suggest that dukelifer's argument didn't really make sense. Edouble doesn't really think that.

[Edouble]

I think Edouble was applying dukelifer's argument about Matt Jones to Grayson Allen (in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way) to suggest that dukelifer's argument didn't really make sense. Edouble doesn't really think that.

You have put all of the pieces together. Well done, sir.

(Freshman) Duhon was supposed to be this great three point shooter and then he was afraid to shoot. Shav was supposed to be this generational, transcendent basketball talent. Gerald was supposed to dominate from day one and it turns out he had asthma. Paulus and Dockery were McDonald's AAs, etc. etc.

Fairly often, the rep doesn't hold up when these guys hit the college hardwood, due to something mental or physical. It's not terribly surprising to me anyway.

[CDu]

You have put all of the pieces together. Well done, sir.

(Freshman) Duhon was supposed to be this great three point shooter and then he was afraid to shoot. Shav was supposed to be this generational, transcendent basketball talent. Gerald was supposed to dominate from day one and it turns out he had asthma. Paulus and Dockery were McDonald's AAs, etc. etc.

Fairly often, the rep doesn't hold up when these guys hit the college hardwood, due to something mental or physical. It's not terribly surprising to me anyway.

Yup, stepping up many levels in competition can do funny things to players. The jump from playing high school ball to any level of college ball is substantial. To make the jump to ACC ball is even crazier. It's hard to know how some of these guys are going to pan out.

[tux]

Yup, stepping up many levels in competition can do funny things to players. The jump from playing high school ball to any level of college ball is substantial. To make the jump to ACC ball is even crazier. It's hard to know how some of these guys are going to pan out.

I'd also add that "pan out" now gets analyzed during a player's freshmen year ---

[jimsumner]

Duke has 3 wing players on the bench that would be getting more minutes with most other teams in the conference. Maybe not starter minutes, but more minutes. 1) Rasheed is a very good defender and one that Coach K has said is our best on the ball defender. He's going to get minutes because of his defense alone. He's not a bad offensive player, but he's having a tough time figuring out what his job is on a team with so much talent. I think he'll get it and be a key player during ACC play. 2) Matt Jones is a very good defender just like Rasheed and Coach K has said he's a good defender. So, like Rasheed, he's going to get his minutes. But unlike Rasheed, Matt knows his job on this team. His job is to play great defense, hustle and make a occasional 3 pointer and drive the ball to the basket as well. I like Matt, but I don't like his shooting form(as I've said before). But I don't care how bad it looks if it's going in the basket. Right now Matt's struggling with his shot, but he'll play because of his defense. 3) Grayson is a good kid that is suppose to be a good shooter and a driver of the ball. His defense is not bad, but it's not on the level of Matt and Rasheed. I think Grayson will go the way of two former Duke guys that are similar in size to Grayson. One is Marty Clark who had a career 5.3 ppg shooting .482 FG% and .374 3%. His junior year he played 19 mpg and his senior year he played 21.1 mpg. His senior year he averaged 8.1 ppg. The other player is Marty Pocius. His career ppg was 1.8, his FG% was .395 and his 3 point % was .250. Many on this board begged for Coach K to play him, but he only averaged 6.1 mpg his senior year. I think Grayson will be more like Marty Clark, but like Marty his time will probably come his junior and senior year. I hope I'm wrong about Grayson because he seems to be a good kid and a hard worker. I actually would like to see him more like Scheyer or JJ. Now that would be wonderful. Just my thought. GoDuke!

I'll be very surprised-and disappointed-if Grayson Allen doesn't turn out to be a better college player than Marty Clark. Marty was a marginal top-100 player who was always viewed as a complementary player, a role he filled quite well.

Perhaps a better analog is Ryan Kelly, who played all of 227 minutes as a freshman.

[kAzE]

I'll be very surprised-and disappointed-if Grayson Allen doesn't turn out to be a better college player than Marty Clark. Marty was a marginal top-100 player who was always viewed as a complementary player, a role he filled quite well.

Perhaps a better analog is Ryan Kelly, who played all of 227 minutes as a freshman.

I agree . . . I think Allen will be a rotation player next year, especially if Tyus Jones goes pro. Winslow will definitely be gone, so I imagine Matt Jones will see the bulk of his minutes at small forward (especially if we don't get Ingram, and I don't think we will), leaving the guard rotation down to Sulaimon/Allen/Kennard, and Tyus Jones if he stays. Even if Kennard is ahead of Allen in the rotation, the 4th guard at Duke usually still gets a decent amount of minutes.

Allen is good enough offensively to play for Duke right now. I think the biggest reason he doesn't get minutes over Matt Jones right now is that his skill set overlaps too much with Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, and he's not as good as those guys right now. Matt gives us a different look on the wing. Add another year of strength/experience, and Allen is going to be a really good player, with All-ACC upside down the road as an upperclassman. I'm not worried about him at all.

[Kfanarmy]

One more college analog for Jahlil is Bill Walton -- another really skilled 6-11 performer. I was living in LA when he was at UCLA and saw him regularly on local TV. Walton was a better shooter (or at least had more range on his shots) but, like Okafor, was extremely skilled in his footwork and had great hands.

No question, Bill was a "Skinny Minnie" as a Bruin, but so were almost all college players, way back in the short pants era.

Also, in the 1970's there was no "Bill Walton voice" to scare little children and cause dogs to bark a half-mile away He had a deep voice but spoke normally.

Happy New Year,
Sage

Let's hope Okafor's ego doesn't grow nearly as fast as Walton's did and continues to.

[OldPhiKap]

I'd also add that "pan out" now gets analyzed during a player's freshmen year ---

Heck, the first dozen games.

[CDu]

I'll be very surprised-and disappointed-if Grayson Allen doesn't turn out to be a better college player than Marty Clark. Marty was a marginal top-100 player who was always viewed as a complementary player, a role he filled quite well.

Perhaps a better analog is Ryan Kelly, who played all of 227 minutes as a freshman.

Maybe, although Kelly was a top-20 recruit. Perhaps a better analog might be Matt Jones, who played all of 235 minutes last year.

[jimsumner]

Maybe, although Kelly was a top-20 recruit. Perhaps a better analog might be Matt Jones, who played all of 235 minutes last year.

Kelly was the consensus No. 14 recruit his senior year, Allen No. 24 and Matt Jones No. 34. FWIW.

[Billy Dat]

RE: Matt Jones

I didn't see the game, but just read K's presser transcript and here's the opening quote:

“We played well and we beat a really good team today. They’re a hard team to defend. They’re just really a hard team to defend. In the first half, we could not complete the defensive exchange enough with our rebounding. What happens, and this has happened many years because we use pressure defense, is that when a shot is taken after you’ve put pressure, especially if a team is moving the ball for 20, 25 seconds, there’s a tendency to feel like it’s over instead of you making it over with the defensive rebound. Because you get tired. You get on to the next thing. It takes a lot of discipline to complete that. And they were getting second shots and third. In the second half, we did that. And we played great defenses. Our bench really helped us a lot. Matt Jones, that’s how Matt is. He can play. [Wofford’s Karl] Cochran is a heck of a player but he didn’t get open looks. He had to shoot turning. Matt was really good and Rasheed [Sulaimon] was really good coming off the bench."

Matt's the first player he singles out. Is that because he was an important part of the win or because K is trying to buck up a kid struggling on the offensive end?

And his final quote,"On the effectiveness of the bigger lineup so far: “We’ll see. Jah’s a great player and Marshall’s a real good player. We should look at it. But Amile’s playing really well and Justise is good when he goes to the four. With nine guys, it gives us some versatility, not numerical versatility as much as different roles, different things that guys can do. So I like that. Having Matt Jones play the way he did today is critical for our team, critical. Matt is our toughest defender and he just adds that something that brings out better stuff with our guys. He was not himself the last few games but today he was terrific.”

9 times out of 10, we tend to only focus our comments on a players offense. Our offense isn't the first thing that needs to get better for us to win a title.

[roywhite]

RE: Matt Jones

I didn't see the game, but just read K's presser transcript and here's the opening quote:

“We played well and we beat a really good team today. They’re a hard team to defend. They’re just really a hard team to defend. In the first half, we could not complete the defensive exchange enough with our rebounding. What happens, and this has happened many years because we use pressure defense, is that when a shot is taken after you’ve put pressure, especially if a team is moving the ball for 20, 25 seconds, there’s a tendency to feel like it’s over instead of you making it over with the defensive rebound. Because you get tired. You get on to the next thing. It takes a lot of discipline to complete that. And they were getting second shots and third. In the second half, we did that. And we played great defenses. Our bench really helped us a lot. Matt Jones, that’s how Matt is. He can play. [Wofford’s Karl] Cochran is a heck of a player but he didn’t get open looks. He had to shoot turning. Matt was really good and Rasheed [Sulaimon] was really good coming off the bench."

Matt's the first player he singles out. Is that because he was an important part of the win or because K is trying to buck up a kid struggling on the offensive end?
And his final quote,"On the effectiveness of the bigger lineup so far: “We’ll see. Jah’s a great player and Marshall’s a real good player. We should look at it. But Amile’s playing really well and Justise is good when he goes to the four. With nine guys, it gives us some versatility, not numerical versatility as much as different roles, different things that guys can do. So I like that. Having Matt Jones play the way he did today is critical for our team, critical. Matt is our toughest defender and he just adds that something that brings out better stuff with our guys. He was not himself the last few games but today he was terrific.”

9 times out of 10, we tend to only focus our comments on a players offense. Our offense isn't the first thing that needs to get better for us to win a title.

Mostly motivational on K's part, IMO. Jones did defend the Cochran kid (a nice player) really well; he also gave up his body on a loose ball situation that enabled Duke to get possession and get a transition bucket. And Matt is really good at playing the passing lanes. Still, I took K's pointed praise as an effort to pump up Matt. And I hope it works; he sure could help this team with defense, energy, and some scoring.

[superdave]

I think its not about another 3 point shooter. Amile Jefferson needs a 10-15 foot jumper. Every team will double Big Oak. If Jefferson could get a jumper going it would make it harder to shadow off Jefferson.

I look forward to Amile shooting a few more jumpers. If he can hit that elbow shot at 50% or better, he can really stretch defenses out. Another option is for him and Justise to slash to the basket more. They can get dump off passes from Jah on the move before the defense can react. That will keep the the defense honest and get Jah fewer double teams.

[jv001]

I agree . . . I think Allen will be a rotation player next year, especially if Tyus Jones goes pro. Winslow will definitely be gone, so I imagine Matt Jones will see the bulk of his minutes at small forward (especially if we don't get Ingram, and I don't think we will), leaving the guard rotation down to Sulaimon/Allen/Kennard, and Tyus Jones if he stays. Even if Kennard is ahead of Allen in the rotation, the 4th guard at Duke usually still gets a decent amount of minutes.

Allen is good enough offensively to play for Duke right now. I think the biggest reason he doesn't get minutes over Matt Jones right now is that his skill set overlaps too much with Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, and he's not as good as those guys right now. Matt gives us a different look on the wing. Add another year of strength/experience, and Allen is going to be a really good player, with All-ACC upside down the road as an upperclassman. I'm not worried about him at all.

I certainly hope you and Jim are correct about Grayson Allen. I really like this kid, but I've not seen enough of him to make any predictions just yet on how good he'll be at Duke. I know he was highly recruited, but that doesn't always mean playing time at Duke if you can't play defense. I'm not saying he can't play defense, it's that I've not seen enough of him in games so far. I do know this, if he can't play defense, Coach K will not give him many minutes unless he just doesn't have anyone else to put in. Grayson just happened to come to Duke when the roster was full of good guards and wings. It looks like next year, he'll get his chance to play and I hope he does very well. GoDuke!

[Kedsy]

I certainly hope you and Jim are correct about Grayson Allen. I really like this kid, but I've not seen enough of him to make any predictions just yet on how good he'll be at Duke. I know he was highly recruited, but that doesn't always mean playing time at Duke if you can't play defense. I'm not saying he can't play defense, it's that I've not seen enough of him in games so far. I do know this, if he can't play defense, Coach K will not give him many minutes unless he just doesn't have anyone else to put in. Grayson just happened to come to Duke when the roster was full of good guards and wings. It looks like next year, he'll get his chance to play and I hope he does very well. GoDuke!

I don't think Grayson has any fundamental problems on defense. His one-on-one defense looks decent to me and he defends well off the ball as well. I think his team defensive concepts need a little work, but that's true of most freshmen. I'm not worried about his ability to earn good minutes in the future, probably starting next season.

[roywhite]

I don't think Grayson has any fundamental problems on defense. His one-on-one defense looks decent to me and he defends well off the ball as well. I think his team defensive concepts need a little work, but that's true of most freshmen. I'm not worried about his ability to earn good minutes in the future, probably starting next season.

Agree. Grayson just seems like a normal, talented freshman to me.

His 3 classmates, on the other hand, seem like they have come in with quite unusual ability and adaptability.

[CDu]

I don't think Grayson has any fundamental problems on defense. His one-on-one defense looks decent to me and he defends well off the ball as well. I think his team defensive concepts need a little work, but that's true of most freshmen. I'm not worried about his ability to earn good minutes in the future, probably starting next season.


Agree. Grayson just seems like a normal, talented freshman to me.

His 3 classmates, on the other hand, seem like they have come in with quite unusual ability and adaptability.

Yup. Allen just has the misfortune of being the 6th best/most experienced perimeter player in what has historically been a 5-man perimeter rotation. Next year, when we lose 1-3 of the guys ahead of him, I'm sure he will see much more time.