Originally Posted by
DukieInBrasil
What i will be watching for in this Phase:
Growth from the Guard position: Trevon Duval started off so hot, against a mixed bag of opposing talent, but he did so well. I can't remember the last time he had a good game from start to finish. His development is one of the key factors for what the ceiling of this team can be. Grayson Allen has retrogressed in serious fashion since the first month of the season. He has been in a deep, deep slump since the beginning of ACC play. He has some moments, and he seems to be distributing the ball pretty well. He also, strangely enough as the only returning starter, seems to be playing without a defined role. Sometimes the PG, sometimes the SG, sometimes just completely removed from the offense. The coaching staff needs to fix this. He needs a clearly defined role and the coaches need to get him involved and have plays run for him.
Focus/passion/intensity for 40 freakin' minutes: This team still hasn't played an entire half, let alone an entire game, of focused quality basketball. The team is young, but they all presumably love the game, so getting them to understand what it takes to reach their potential as a team is of utmost importance.
Coaching: I hate to say it, but K has gotten outcoached quite a bit lately. It almost makes me barf in my mouth, but Ol' Roy outcoached K in a serious way. The adjustments at halftime by UNC were obvious and very effective. Duke didn't look like they made any adjustments whatsoever, and just looked sad and confused for most of the 2nd half. Whatever it is that K is doing isn't working very well. Others have said it and i agree: run set plays for these guys!!! Yes they are super talented, but they are freshmen going up against experienced and talented players, they might not understand what is the best way to get a bucket. Well, that's why we have the best coach in the game on the sideline, to figure out how to get the best out of them, and it is not working right now.
There is nothing about this team that indicates that they can't become the best in the country, but they aren't right now. All of the games that Duke has lost so far were games that could have been won with a little bit of luck, better focus by the players for more of the game, and better end game execution in those games. This team has had amazing end game execution at times, and when playing with focus is amazingly fun to watch. These guys are gaining experience, and i hope that learning is taking place that we're not seeing, that it all coalesces for them soon and that they can turn that learning into execution. If that happens, these guys are gonna be great.