MBB: Duke 97 Elon 68 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Quite the day for Duke hoops. Sign me up for more.

[grossbus]

Many times i have watched our first game with heady anticipation fed by online reports from campus observers only to be brought quickly back to ground level by what my eyes observed.

Not so this year.

[ipatent]

Duval had a very nice game with eight assists and no turnovers. Just what we need from him this year. Javin Delaurier had a game high 11 rebounds in limited minutes, six on the offensive end.

[subzero02]

If the duo of Bagley and Carter can stay out of foul trouble, we are going to be very hard to beat. If Javin doesn't blowup and become an early NBA departure, he's going to be an absolute beast on both ends of the floor his senior year. Where did all of O'Connell's come from? He has a chance to be a true impact player this year. He plays under control but with plenty of energy and he shots the ball with extreme confidence.

[DukeTrinity11]

Watching Bagley reminds me of watching Kevin Durant at Texas and Anthony Davis at Kentucky in their one year in college...he's simply breathtaking.

[elvis14]

Great first game. Tonight Bagley was really impressive. I suspect with this team we will be able to say that about different guys after each game. I suspect Bagley and Grayson will earn it many times over.

[kAzE]

Great team win. I thought everyone played pretty well. The freshmen look much more ready to compete at this stage of the season than maybe ever before. The extra practices we got in for the Dominican trip really shows.

All the starters were hyper efficient in their minutes on the floor. Carter was limited by foul trouble, but was extremely effective in his 16 minutes. They all looked REALLY good. Both Bagley and Carter were unstoppable 1 on 1 in the paint. Those guys are going to eat down there every game because I don't think there is a front court that can stop both of them. Gary is a man child. The rebound he got in the middle of 3 Elon players in the 2nd half was crazy tough. His shot looks great, hopefully he can keep this confidence at this level all year.

Javin and Alex off the bench really stood out. I may be sleeping a bit on Alex. He can really play. Some good bounce and nice touch his shots. Obviously needs to get much stronger, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how he develops. I wasn't convinced after the nice showing at CTC, but another strong performance like this in the next game and I think he may just force himself into the rotation (possibly ahead of Goldwire).

[dukelifer]

Watching Bagley reminds me of watching Kevin Durant at Texas and Anthony Davis at Kentucky in their one year in college...he's simply breathtaking.

Bagley is a special player. If he develops his shot- which has decent mechanics - he will be an All Star at the next level.

[MChambers]

All the starters were hyper efficient in their minutes on the floor. Carter was limited by foul trouble, but was extremely effective in his 16 minutes. They all looked REALLY good. Both Bagley and Carter were unstoppable 1 on 1 in the paint. Those guys are going to eat down there every game because I don't think there is a front court that can stop both of them.

MSU will be a great test, because that team is at least as big as Duke, more experienced, and deeper (arguably).

[jipops]

Scattered thoughts:

Javin with the Rodman-like performance.

Gary was impressive on both ends of the floor.

We seemed to take the foot off the gas some after that 20-3 lead. But that's kind of human nature. Wendell's 3rd foul didn't help. Hope that doesn't happen tomorrow.

Nice hedge by Vrank in the 2nd half.

Grayson already looks different from last season.

[mapei]

Extremely impressive. If I have a concern - and I'm not sure that I do - it's that our new guys might be susceptible to foul trouble. What a debut by Mr. Bagley!

[subzero02]

We covered the 19.5 point spread pretty comfortably. I expect quite a few blowouts this year; in those game, our ability to cover the spread will depend heavily on our bench play.

[pfrduke]

Extremely impressive. If I have a concern - and I'm not sure that I do - it's that our new guys might be susceptible to foul trouble. What a debut by Mr. Bagley!

Still a little concerned about the shooting from players other than Allen and Trent. That duo went 10-14 from 3, the rest of the team 2-11 (and, considering O’Connell was 2-2, that leaves 0-9 from deep for everyone who isn’t one of our top 3 shooters). That kind of thing doesn’t matter against Elon, which is overmatched inside even when the spacing isn’t great. But still something to watch for going forward.

[sagegrouse]

Extremely impressive. If I have a concern - and I'm not sure that I do - it's that our new guys might be susceptible to foul trouble. What a debut by Mr. Bagley!

Overall a heartening performance, but several concerns:

Looks like fouls will be a problem for the freshmen: Wendell, Duvall and Goldwire racked them up in limited minutes. The good news was that Bagley and Trent had a total of one foul in 40+ minutes.

Free throw shooting. What's this? What's this? We start 1-8 and rally to finish 3-11. Clearly a key performance indicator and -- like the fouls cited previously -- can be disabling for a team.

On the plus side:

We have a lot of bullets in our gun belt -- and didn't use a lot of them. Amazing offensive performance from Marvin, Gary and Grayson. Wendell and Trevon could have contributed much more if they hadn't had foul trouble. Marques was sick but would have pitched in. It appears that all five players on the floor can contribute to the offense -- any five of the top seven.

Rebounding. How surprising and fortunate it is to have a team with strong rebounding capabilities on both defense and offense. I hope it holds up against more formidable opponents.

Great start.

[Troublemaker]

So, continuing the trend from the preseason exhibition games, CTC, etc., Duke gave up a ton of three-point attempts once again. Over half of Elon's shot attempts were threes (33 attempts total), and they hit a very good 42.4% out there. Overall, our defense did well to hold them to a 91 offensive rating given that frequency and accuracy of three-pt shooting. We held them to 37% from two-pt range and forced 15 turnovers and only gave them 7 free throw attempts.

While we'll need a few more games to be completely sure, I think it's becoming clear that Coach K and staff have decided that this season, we're going to help off 3-pt shooters more liberally than in previous seasons in order to challenge shots inside.

The most consistent thing about Duke's defense over the past 15 years has been our ability to limit three-point attempts. No more, I suspect.

[Dukerati]

We imposed ourselves physically on this game. In a way, this team reminds me a little of the dominant Kentucky teams with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. We are going to be longer and more physically talented than almost every team with a bludgeoning approach to both offense and defense. The main difference (to me) is Grayson who covers up most shooting worries single-handedly. I hope our free throw shooting improves as that will make for some nervous moments in late-game situations!

[CarmenWallaceWade]

Great overall performance, but to me free throw shooting was the most glaring weakness. Hopefully it will not become a trend as poor ft shooting could be a major Achilles heel.

[Philadukie]

So, continuing the trend from the preseason exhibition games, CTC, etc., Duke gave up a ton of three-point attempts once again. Over half of Elon's shot attempts were threes (33 attempts total), and they hit a very good 42.4% out there. Overall, our defense did well to hold them to a 91 offensive rating given that frequency and accuracy of three-pt shooting. We held them to 37% from two-pt range and forced 15 turnovers and only gave them 7 free throw attempts.

While we'll need a few more games to be completely sure, I think it's becoming clear that Coach K and staff have decided that this season, we're going to help off 3-pt shooters more liberally than in previous seasons in order to challenge shots inside.

The most consistent thing about Duke's defense over the past 15 years has been our ability to limit three-point attempts. No more, I suspect.

Teams are probably game planning differently as well. The way to beat Duke in the past was spread and drive. Not so easy this year with our shot blockers. New game plan will be to pass around the perimeter for the open 3. I expect a lot more attempts against the team this year, and less drives.

[brlftz]

Still a little concerned about the shooting from players other than Allen and Trent. That duo went 10-14 from 3, the rest of the team 2-11 (and, considering O’Connell was 2-2, that leaves 0-9 from deep for everyone who isn’t one of our top 3 shooters). That kind of thing doesn’t matter against Elon, which is overmatched inside even when the spacing isn’t great. But still something to watch for going forward.

I think that as we shift out of preseason mode some of those green lights are turning red. Bagley and Carter might take a couple, but if they don't start hitting some of them it will be no more than that if only to maintain the pretense of a threat.

[moonpie23]

watching the game now......

bagley....wow...what else can you say, buuuuuuuuuuuuut GRAYSON!!!! wow...


javin is making a statement...


tomorrow will have some new dynamics....let's see how they do...

I'm excited...

[OZ]

I loved Grayson's game tonight. It was fun watching him work with the younger guys... constantly talking to them and congratulating them. I was also impressed with how he (particularly in the second half) worked to get other players involved offensively. Several times, he passed up shots, in order to give others an opportunity. I'm betting had this been a close game, he would have gotten more than 3 points the second half. He is an extension of Coach K on the floor.

[JNort]

What are the odds Bagley breaks the dunks in a season record?

[Kedsy]

Good opening game.

Rebounding was outstanding (82.5% DR%; 39.5% OR%). Offense clicked (63.5% eFG%; 21 to 12 a/to; 51.2% of baskets were assisted). Other than allowing a high percentage of opponent three-point makes (42.4%), the defense was strong.

I'm not really worried that we only have two outside shooters. It theoretically could hurt us in a close game (if, for example, both Grayson and Gary have poor shooting nights but they keep launching them anyway), but we have so many ways to score, we should still be ok.

But I do have a few concerns:

-- We didn't get to the line much (14.9% free throw rate), though considering Grayson and Gary attempted just one free throw between them, our low free throw rate was probably a good thing. I didn't see any Duke player other than Grayson and Gary who I would trust to hit a free throw late in a close game.

-- If the other team is going to attempt 50+% of their shots from three-land, we can't allow them to hit 42+% of them. Have to close out faster.

-- Although Alex was great tonight, the other subs didn't impress. I'll be surprised if anyone (even Alex) outside our top 7 (which includes Marques) plays much (or really at all) in competitive games. And thus foul trouble by any of our starters could be problematic, which means Trevon and Wendell (and probably Marvin, tonight's lack of fouls notwithstanding) are going to have to take a crash course in how not to foul. Javin too.


Overall, though, I was thrilled. I think this year's team is better than last year's team. I'm just a little worried one or more of the above items could come around to bite us in a close game and/or (more importantly) a tournament game.

[proelitedota]

I was impressed with Elon's shooting prowess. That was not a cupcake team!

[mgtr]

This is going to be a great team, assuming everyone continues healthy. Our first seven players look fantastic, Grayson looks almost superhuman. Compared to last year, a major difference is the addition of a real point guard (plus even a backup!) Once our bigs settled down into a rhythm last night, they looked almost unstoppable, and the fouling went down (at least among the bigs, Goldwire had problems all along).
This should be a great season, glad to be along for the ride!

[TKG]

A friend of mine was kind enough to take me to the game. Two observations: there was a sequence in the first half where one of the boys was playing aggressively on the wing and tried to deflect a pass. This resulted in him being way out of position. His teammates reacted quickly and the team, as a unit, recovered and multiple players flew to cover open Elon players. Elon moves the ball well and were never able to take advantage because Duke played great team D. The sequence drew a loud response from the crowd. Really good stuff.

Second observation: I really like Gary Trent, Jr.

[slower]

I don't think we'll really know anything until at least MSU next week.

Grayson and Bagley are the real deal. Carter, barring foul trouble, should be great inside. Trent looks like he'll be one of our top-3 scorers all year.

Duval worries me at this point. Maybe he just needs to settle in, but he looks almost uncertain and lacking confidence. Bolden remains an unknown quantity. The rest of the non-starters look pretty good, but that's just in cleanup time.

I want to be all in on Final Four (and beyond) chances, but I just have this nagging feeling. And of course, it's only ONE game into the season, so any speculation is kind of silly. And freshmen usually get a lot better as the season progresses (which, in Bagley's case, is scary-good to contemplate).

As always, from one game to the next, nobody knows anything about what the next game will bring. I'm sure we'll have our usual quota of folks predicting 30-point blowouts before we go down in defeat, just like every season.

But as i said, MSU will tell us a lot more then Elon.

[fuse]

Can someone help me with an objective evaluation of Duval’s defense?

I keep reading opinions like best defender since Wojo, Duhon, etc and what I saw last night was someone effective in disrupting passing lanes, and also someone who seemed to not be moving his feet and getting beat by his man.

Sample size of one game is too small, and yet Duval staying out of foul trouble feels awfully important.

I guess we got our answers on redshirts, also. Was surprised to see Tucker and O’Connell play. Can see how O’Connell will be a fan favorite- high energy and no fear.

Like what I see chemistry wise, and feel badly for Bolden.

Was a fun game to watch. DeLaurier is starting off strong.

[whereinthehellami]

Trent does not play like a freshman, heady and tough. Not afraid of the lights.

Javin and Alex both have a talent for knowing where the ball is going. Alex has some ability and confidence. I liked Gerald's comment that you could see Alex was game ready the day before.

I love Carter's game, great hands and moves in the post but it looks like fouls are going to be a worry.

[mo.st.dukie]

Duval worries me at this point. Maybe he just needs to settle in, but he looks almost uncertain and lacking confidence.
.

Really?! He had 8 assists and 0 turnovers. I thought he looked really good other than his jump shooting which we already knew was a weakness. He took his opportunities to push the tempo and drive to the basket when those opportunities where there but he didn't force much. He was just really steady as a point guard, ran the team, and distributed the ball well. He also played really well on the defensive end.

I could understand that if you are looking for another Kyrie Irving you could be disappointed because Trevon isn't looking for his shot as much and he isn't putting a ton of pressure on the defense with his dribble penetration. He might look for his drives more as the season goes along. But as a point guard running this very talented team, can't complain very much about how Duval has been doing in that regard.

[slower]

Really?! He had 8 assists and 0 turnovers. He looked really good other than his jump shooting which we already knew was a weakness. He took his opportunities to push the tempo and drive to the basket when those opportunities where there but he didn't force much. He was just really steady as a point guard, ran the team, and distributed the ball well. He also played really well on the defensive end.

Yeah, I see your point. Maybe it was that crappy WatchESPN feed that distorted my view of him. :p

I guess it also shows the danger of (me) setting (my) expectations based on YouTube highlight videos. Maybe K sent him the message that steady is preferable to flashy. On this team, he doesn't have to be (nor should he be) "the man."

And of course, we are only ONE game into the season. My bad.

[mo.st.dukie]

Can someone help me with an objective evaluation of Duval’s defense?

I keep reading opinions like best defender since Wojo, Duhon, etc and what I saw last night was someone effective in disrupting passing lanes, and also someone who seemed to not be moving his feet and getting beat by his man.



I don't know, I'd have to go back and watch the game film but to me he seemed to be really good on that end of the floor. I didn't notice him getting beat routinely. Obviously, it's 2017 basketball where the rules favor the ball handler so even the best of defenders get beat.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yeah, I see your point. Maybe it was that crappy WatchESPN feed that distorted my view of him. :p


Lots of folks in the game thread complaining about the feed quality. Am I the only one with relative clarity and no issues?

[AGDukesky]

Lots of folks in the game thread complaining about the feed quality. Am I the only one with relative clarity and no issues?

Mine was fine too. It would flicker for a second every now and then, but I never felt like a missed action.

[plimnko]

no "who's your daddy" cheer when battier was introduced.

[CajunDevil]

My feed kept pausing every 15 seconds or so when I was on full screen. When I went down to normal screen view, and after cursing U-verse incessantly, the feed worked without any problem. I'm pretty sure my yelling at the computer had zero effect, but it felt good. On to a few thoughts about the game...

Bagley and Grayson were superb. I love watching Carter float with power over/past his defender after he spins baseline.

Duval is not forcing the action, and may be trying to find the right mix of flash and simple play. Even with a somewhat tentative style, perhaps he might be thinking too much, he had an excellent floor game, and several beautiful passes - one to Javin for a dunk, one to Bagley for an alley-oop, and a behind the back pass to Bagley for his end of half slam. I can't wait until 10-15 games in to see him settled in and - pushing the ball on the break more and penetrating for lobs to Bagley/Carter/DeLaurier. After Duval's first foul he noticeably backed off the pressure, although both him and Goldwire were a bit handsy on D, but they will adjust.

I attribute FT shooting to first game jitters... I'm hoping that's the case.

The most impressive thing is that this team is very far along, especially for being K's youngest team in their first game. Defensive rotations and communication were pretty good given that Elon spaces the floor really well.

[COYS]

I don't know, I'd have to go back and watch the game film but to me he seemed to be really good on that end of the floor. I didn't notice him getting beat routinely. Obviously, it's 2017 basketball where the rules favor the ball handler so even the best of defenders get beat.

My impression was that he was fantastic when defending on the ball. He rarely allowed anyone to drive by him and even when they did, his speed and length helped him recover and prevent easy layups. It seemed like he got caught over-helping a few times when defending off the ball, but that’s not surprising since that is one of the toughest facets of defense to perfect.

Also, he single-handedly disrupted a fast break for Elon on one end, grabbed the ball, and outran everyone for a layup on the other in what was my favorite play for him the whole game. 8 points. 8 assists. 3 steals. The only thing that could have made his outing better is if he had hit a couple threes.

[indy1duke]

Wow! We were there and there was quite a buzz at the vast amount of talent on display. To the nit pickers I say this. What a difference from last year when we were down a point at half time and Grayson has his melt down. Elon has everybody back and is quite experienced. I was surprised with their three point shooting accuracy. We might have won by 50 if they had been missing shots.

Grayson impressed me the most as a leader on the court. He is healthy and it shows. The coaches have worked on his strength and balance so he doesn’t fall down as often on his drives to the basket reducing his risk of injury. He has been money from outside and looks to invoke all his teammates. He has been vocal and demonstrative on the floor which a freshman laden team needs.

It will be fun to see how they do tonight against a team that led KY by 9 at the half last night.

[COYS]

-- Although Alex was great tonight, the other subs didn't impress. I'll be surprised if anyone (even Alex) outside our top 7 (which includes Marques) plays much (or really at all) in competitive games. And thus foul trouble by any of our starters could be problematic, which means Trevon and Wendell (and probably Marvin, tonight's lack of fouls notwithstanding) are going to have to take a crash course in how not to foul. Javin too.


Overall, though, I was thrilled. I think this year's team is better than last year's team. I'm just a little worried one or more of the above items could come around to bite us in a close game and/or (more importantly) a tournament game.

i agree with you, overall, with the caveat that, from my perspective, Alex was excellent scoring and rebounding (his athleticism is impressive even if he is pretty lanky), but he got lost a few times on defense, including getting beaten on a back-door cut and losing his man for a wide open three. He wasn’t the only one who occasionally got lost, but it did seem to me that he was getting lost at a higher rate than the top seven guys. Still, he doesn’t look as physically overmatched as one might expect given his frame, and his shooting ability and confidence give him a high ceiling as a scorer. To be quite frank, I’m surprised the recruiting services did not have him ranked higher. His combo of height, shooting ability, and athleticism for a 2-guard gives him a LOT of potential.

[Ultrarunner]

Yeah, I see your point. Maybe it was that crappy WatchESPN feed that distorted my view of him. :p

I guess it also shows the danger of (me) setting (my) expectations based on YouTube highlight videos. Maybe K sent him the message that steady is preferable to flashy. On this team, he doesn't have to be (nor should he be) "the man."

And of course, we are only ONE game into the season. My bad.

I think that was the discussion after the Blue-White game. K sent a message that he needed to value the ball and not to force things too much, too early.

I think the second message, one that we weren't privy to, was "until your basketball instincts take over." That behind the back pass was a thing of beauty and a great basketball play that was set up by his drives to the hoop. It wasn't forced and it was within the framework of the team on the court.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

My feed kept pausing every 15 seconds or so when I was on full screen. When I went down to normal screen view, and after cursing U-verse incessantly, the feed worked without any problem. I'm pretty sure my yelling at the computer had zero effect, but it felt good. On to a few thoughts about the game...


My feed should have been horrible... I was using my phone through home wifi, then using Chromecast to stream to my TV. Clear and strong.

[Kedsy]

i agree with you, overall, with the caveat that, from my perspective, Alex was excellent scoring and rebounding (his athleticism is impressive even if he is pretty lanky), but he got lost a few times on defense, including getting beaten on a back-door cut and losing his man for a wide open three. He wasn’t the only one who occasionally got lost, but it did seem to me that he was getting lost at a higher rate than the top seven guys. Still, he doesn’t look as physically overmatched as one might expect given his frame, and his shooting ability and confidence give him a high ceiling as a scorer. To be quite frank, I’m surprised the recruiting services did not have him ranked higher. His combo of height, shooting ability, and athleticism for a 2-guard gives him a LOT of potential.

He has more height (though less weight) and less athleticism than Grayson, but Alex reminds me a little of Grayson as a freshman. And Grayson as a freshman hardly played until Rasheed Sulaimon got kicked off the team.

That said, Alex should play against the lesser teams on our schedule, especially tonight, where we're on the second of a back-to-back.

[DukieInBrasil]

i haven't read any of the comments and i waited until after watching the replay to check in, but: NICE!
Grayson got off to a great start, glad to see him really using all of his skills.
Bagley started off pretty shaky, but that running right to left across the lane hook shot is going to be tough to stop.
Trent is growing on me. It's about as early as can be but if he keeps playing this cool and collected, he'll be getting lots of attention from the NBA.
Delaurier has an unbelievable motor and is a joy to watch.
I liked how Duval played, he picked his moments well and got the right people the ball. His shot anywhere away from the rim looks very suspect.
Outside of those guys, the only player to really grab my attention was O'Connell. He was making plays all over the place and made all of his shots. That's the way to more PT.

I'm not down on Carter, who played well, but fouls limited him.
If this game is any indicator, Goldwire will get used in a not unsparing fashion this year. I was bummed that Jack White didn't make any shots, he played hard but just didn't get the bounce. I still haven't seen Tucker do anything of note.
Finally, what a bummer for Bolden. The kid has been busting his butt and looked like he finally found a gear that would make him extremely useful only to go down with strep, and will likely miss all of the 1st 3 games. It shouldn't hold him back for too long, but there's some eerie shades of last year...

[Native]

My feed should have been horrible... I was using my phone through home wifi, then using Chromecast to stream to my TV. Clear and strong.

Was using WatchESPN through an Apple TV. No issues here.

[CDu]

He has more height (though less weight) and less athleticism than Grayson, but Alex reminds me a little of Grayson as a freshman. And Grayson as a freshman hardly played until Rasheed Sulaimon got kicked off the team.

That said, Alex should play against the lesser teams on our schedule, especially tonight, where we're on the second of a back-to-back.

To be fair, the only reason Allen didn't play more as a freshman was because he was the 9th man (and 6th guard/wing option) until Sulaimon was dismissed. So I'm not sure I'd use Allen's history as a reason that O'Connell won't play much.

That being said, I don't see a lot of Allen in O'Connell's game. O'Connell seems to be a better ballhandler than Allen was, though certainly less physical. And his game seems more angles and craftiness than Allen's in-your-face aggressiveness. But I don't think O'Connell is lacking in athleticism.

That being said, I think O'Connell will play a bit less than Goldwire. It does not appear that Coach K wants Allen playing PG this year, but rather wants him to focus on scoring. As such, I think Goldwire will be the first guard sub off the bench this year and will be in whenever Duval is out. O'Connell will get some of the minutes behind Allen and Trent.

[BandAlum83]

Bagley is a beast. What more can I say about that?

Grayson NPOY wouldn't surprise me.

I want to see Carter unleashed for a full game without foul trouble. He's more than special.

Trent has a smooth stroke

Duval is silky smooth on the break and 8 assists, no turnovers? What? That should silence the doubters for at least a day!

Javin is like Tigger! Bouncy!

O'connell looks like the annoying younger brother who insists on playing with the big kids and wants to prove he belongs. And he does!

This season is going to be very very fun!

[CDu]

Having finally watched the entire game, I can say I'm pleased with the start. The game was never in doubt, and we cruised to the point that Coach K pulled the starters with almost 6 minutes left. That's what you want against an overmatched foe with a game the next night. I give Elon a ton of credit: they space the floor well and can really shoot the 3. That made the game look closer than it was (if that's possible in a 29-point win in which the starters left well before the final TV timeout). We dominated inside, and it was a good chance for the freshmen to get their first taste of D-1 ball. No complaints from me. Just an enjoyable watch all the way through.

Allen looked fabulous. His shooting touch seems effortless and he is just locked in as a shooter right now. I hope he can keep it up. And stay healthy. His skill level is just SOOO high. It seems like the staff has told him to hunt his shot. He's such a naturally aggressive scorer, and with such a good 3pt shot now he should look to score whenever possible.

Bagley is as advertised. Just a stud. He is so long and athletic, yet skilled as well. He just seemed to score effortlessly. His addition was an absolute gamechanger for this team. Imagine taking a top-5 team and plopping the best player in the country on the roster. Silly. He's like a condor out there, swooping all over the court to make plays.

There is going to be a theme with the first few guys, and that's effortlessness. Because Duval seemed to play effortlessly as well. You could see the extra gear whenever he needed it, but he just played so under control. And yet despite not letting loose on the throttle, he was still a huge factor defensively and in complete control on offense. The only flaw I see in his game is his shot, which isn't very good. But he does everything else so well.

Trent was shooting the lights out today, but even if his shot isn't falling he's a presence out there. Very tough, very heady, very good. Does a little bit of everything on the floor. I love his intensity.

Carter showed flashes of his immense talent as well, but his struggles with fouls (as well as the dominance of his teammates) kept him in check. Still, 8 points on 4-6 shooting and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes ain't shabby. He's a widebody, and I think he's going to be a huge complement to Bagley's lankiness.

With no Bolden, DeLaurier was the first big off the bench. He did what he does: provided energy and hustle plays. Loads of rebounds and putbacks, made plays in the passing lanes too. A very nice piece to have coming off the bench behind what should be the best starting frontcourt in the country. And it's crazy that he won't be the only option off the bench once Bolden is healthy.

It was interesting that Goldwire was again the first guard off the bench. The one constant so far has been that Allen has not played any PG. So when Duval comes out, Goldwire comes in. Now, I think Duval will play well above 30 minutes per game in real games, but if this continues that means Goldwire will see regular minutes as Duval's sub. Goldwire doesn't do much, but he allows Allen to stay in shothunter mode throughout.

O'Connell was the only other sub of note. He had a great night. He hit his two open 3s, and had a nice driving finger roll. And defensively he was pesky, forcing a couple of turnovers. I don't think he'll get a ton of minutes this year, but I think he'll be the first/only wing off the bench in meaningful games. That likely won't be a ton of minutes, but maybe ~5 minutes per game for him.

Vrankovic played a bunch with Bolden unavailable, and was his usual self. Big, slow, a bit foul-prone, but gave full effort. I doubt he plays much once Bolden gets healthy.

White and Tucker were nonfactors in this one. I have trouble seeing either guy playing meaningful minutes once we get to the tougher games.

[lotusland]

Good opening game.

Rebounding was outstanding (82.5% DR%; 39.5% OR%). Offense clicked (63.5% eFG%; 21 to 12 a/to; 51.2% of baskets were assisted). Other than allowing a high percentage of opponent three-point makes (42.4%), the defense was strong.

I'm not really worried that we only have two outside shooters. It theoretically could hurt us in a close game (if, for example, both Grayson and Gary have poor shooting nights but they keep launching them anyway), but we have so many ways to score, we should still be ok.

But I do have a few concerns:

-- We didn't get to the line much (14.9% free throw rate), though considering Grayson and Gary attempted just one free throw between them, our low free throw rate was probably a good thing. I didn't see any Duke player other than Grayson and Gary who I would trust to hit a free throw late in a close game.

-- If the other team is going to attempt 50+% of their shots from three-land, we can't allow them to hit 42+% of them. Have to close out faster.

-- Although Alex was great tonight, the other subs didn't impress. I'll be surprised if anyone (even Alex) outside our top 7 (which includes Marques) plays much (or really at all) in competitive games. And thus foul trouble by any of our starters could be problematic, which means Trevon and Wendell (and probably Marvin, tonight's lack of fouls notwithstanding) are going to have to take a crash course in how not to foul. Javin too.


Overall, though, I was thrilled. I think this year's team is better than last year's team. I'm just a little worried one or more of the above items could come around to bite us in a close game and/or (more importantly) a tournament game.

I’m not sure how many minutes it takes to be in the rotation but we may see Goldwire spell Duvall for a few mpg for the rest of the year. Alex seems to be the best of the rest at this point.

[DukieInBrasil]

That being said, I think O'Connell will play a bit less than Goldwire. It does not appear that Coach K wants Allen playing PG this year, but rather wants him to focus on scoring. As such, I think Goldwire will be the first guard sub off the bench this year and will be in whenever Duval is out. O'Connell will get some of the minutes behind Allen and Trent.

that's the way i see it too. Goldwire came in relatively early as a sub for Duval, and it took a little while longer for O'Connell to get in the game.
That being said, O'Connell was much more productive when he was in. I don't think that means he'll necessarily play more though, b/c J-Gold's utility is not scoring but being able to capably run the "1st Unit" (by which i mean the top 7 guys in the rotation) if/when Duval gets in foul trouble or needs a rest.
There are just not a whole lot of scenarios that Duke will need what O'Connell brings to the table when the outcome of the game is in doubt. The only scenarios i can think of in which Alex is needed in such a case would be if Duke has to stay small b/c our bigs are getting roasted by smaller players and we have foul trouble in the front and/or backcourt. Imagine: Duval and Grayson on the bench with 3 fouls mid-way in the 1st half vs a small quick team in which going to Javin or Marques alongside Carter&Bagley won't work or either Duval or Grayson and Bagley or Javin in foul trouble. In the first scenario we'd keep 2 bigs on the floor and who else but Alex could we put in the backcourt alongside J-Gold and Gary? In the second scenario, we'd need 4 backcourt guys out there alongside our lone big, and Grayson/Trevon, J-Gold, and Gary.
If K loses interest in using Bagley and Javin as "3"s then Alex could become the defacto backup for Gary. So far, Bagley and Javin have shown great motors to go along with lots of length, and that has been very effective against our smaller opponents so far.

[Kedsy]

I’m not sure how many minutes it takes to be in the rotation but we may see Goldwire spell Duvall for a few mpg for the rest of the year.

Yeah, but I'll be surprised if Jordan G averages more than 2 or 3 minutes in competitive games.

[azzefkram]

I missed watching the first half but managed to listen to it on SiriusXM (not nearly as much fun). I watched the second half and the highlights of the first half. Grayson and MBIII looked great. Grayson is much more in control than in years past. I am so looking forward to seeing his senior year. MBIII looks so effortless out there. His second jump is amazing. Wendell appeared hamstrung by his foul issues but you could see the talent in flashes. Trevon was great at guiding the O and seemed really good at putting pressure on the opposing point. Like with the exhibitions, I'm surprised we don't run more. It almost seems like Trevon is not allowed to take it out of 3rd gear. Gary does so many things well and plays with an edge and toughness. He does need to improve his shot selection however. We have too many weapons on offense to take bad shots. Javin was quite Javin-like last night. Lots of hustle and pesky defense. Alex is going to be fun to watch grow and mature over the next few years. He is going to be a heck of a player for Duke. JGold can fill in for Trevon in a pinch but there is a huge drop-off on both sides of the ball. I can see him playing respectable minutes early in the season but I expect them to dry up as the season progresses. JWhite and JTuck were underwhelming. JWhite plays with a lot of effort and seems to have a good feel for the game but appears slow footed out there.

I thought our D looked good for the most part especially when we had the starters in.

[accfanfrom1970]

Maybe it's the look but when I watch Alex I see Marty Clark. Could he be in games late to make free throws?

[Kedsy]

Maybe it's the look but when I watch Alex I see Marty Clark. Could he be in games late to make free throws?

Interesting idea. Somebody needs to be.

[superdave]

There is going to be a theme with the first few guys, and that's effortlessness. Because Duval seemed to play effortlessly as well. You could see the extra gear whenever he needed it, but he just played so under control. And yet despite not letting loose on the throttle, he was still a huge factor defensively and in complete control on offense. The only flaw I see in his game is his shot, which isn't very good. But he does everything else so well.


Duvall had two plays in a row where he got to the rim. Seems like he will be able to do that at will, but is trying to be the distributor. He has an extra gear. Also, he may need to have a floater vs bigger teams. Will see if that is in his bag.

If Duvall can provide defensive intensity at the point, he really can set the tone for this team. Having a true point makes a world of difference. Such a luxury. Allen and Trent playing off the ball is tough, in addition to a frontcourt few can matchup against.

I do think like many others that the team will go as far as Duvall can take them though. He doesnt have to do everything, just keep everything clicking, keep the ball moving, and play tough ball pressure D.

Great start to the season for four freshman starters.

[BD80]

Interesting idea. Somebody needs to be.

Often, it has been 4 guards.

[superdave]

Maybe it's the look but when I watch Alex I see Marty Clark. Could he be in games late to make free throws?

OK, but we may need to intervene and trim up his bangs though.....

[TKG]

Maybe it's the look but when I watch Alex I see Marty Clark. Could he be in games late to make free throws?

Alex doesn't foul! Alex doesn't foul!

[DukieInBrasil]

Alex doesn't foul! Alex doesn't foul!

Marty Clark, not Pocius.

[BandAlum83]

Alex doesn't foul! Alex doesn't foul!

We need to come up with a little brother kind of nickname for Alex.

[jimsumner]

Marty Clark, not Pocius.

"Marty doesn't foul" originated for Marty Nessley, who most definitely did.

Post-modern irony.

Then carried over to Clark and Pocius. But not really the same thing.

[Kedsy]

Marty Clark, not Pocius.

I believe people have been saying "Marty doesn't foul" since Marty "the Puma" Nessley. Though I suppose at this point it has been universally applied to all who live in Martydom.

EDIT: ah, I see Jim beat me to it. Alas.

[DukieInBrasil]

"Marty doesn't foul" originated for Marty Nessley, who most definitely did.

Post-modern irony.

Then carried over to Clark and Pocius. But not really the same thing.

ahh, i didn't start following Duke until after Nessley had finished playing. I was only ever aware of it for Pocius, even though i watched Marty Clark play. I guess tv just doesn't capture some things...
I apologize for my lack of venerable Duke chant history.

ed.- even so, i messed up my own critique. I meant to say Marty Pocius, not Clark in my original post. Brain just don't wanna cooperate today...

[BandAlum83]

ahh, i didn't start following Duke until after Nessley had finished playing. I was only ever aware of it for Pocius, even though i watched Marty Clark play. I guess tv just doesn't capture some things...
I apologize for my lack of venerable Duke chant history.

ed.- even so, i messed up my own critique. I meant to say Marty Pocius, not Clark in my original post. Brain just don't wanna cooperate today...

The Martinator?

[brlftz]

Before Pocius there was Clark, and before Clark there was Nessley. None of them fouled.

[UrinalCake]

Didn't have a chance to post about this game until now, and most of my reactions have already been mentioned. But one thing notable that I saw watching the game in person was at the end of the first half - Duval made that behind-the-back pass to Bagley for the monster dunk, and then we made a nice defensive play on the other end to knock the ball out of bounds. The team was all celebrating and soaking in the roar of the crowd, thinking the half was over, but Grayson was frantically getting everybody to settle down and play defense for the remaining 2.5 seconds of the half. It was exactly what you'd want our captain to do.