Duke visiting Canada!

[BD80]

9:22 left, Duke up 66-52, Zion is leading Duke in almost every category. Barrett is forcing a lot but getting to the rim when he wants. Both Barrett and Zion are showing really good passing vision.

Zion and RJ have over 50 of the 66 points.

[fuse]

Zion and RJ have over 50 of the 66 points.

Worked well against Wisconsin in 2015

[Pghdukie]

The cost of tickets for the Kentucky game just increased 200%.

[Native]

9:22 left, Duke up 66-52, Zion is leading Duke in almost every category. Barrett is forcing a lot but getting to the rim when he wants. Both Barrett and Zion are showing really good passing vision.

86-67 Duke is your final. This was basically the Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett Variety Hour.

Bilas used the word "unique" to describe Zion and I have to agree — we've never had a player like him. I haven't watched too much tape of his, so I knew he was an outstanding leaper, but he moves very very quickly for a player of his size. He had a good-looking jumper — knocked down a few open threes in the corner and one from the top of the key a la Wendell — and had a few "how did he get that?!" rebounds. He also had a big put-back dunk that brought the house down. Finished with 34 points. I'm interested to see how he holds up in late-game situations, conditioning-wise, but this was about as good a first outing as we could have hoped for from Williamson. Would like to see him be smarter on closeouts and not bite on pump-fakes, either. Once he gets momentum, he's fast, but he can't turn on a dime and recover after going for a fake.

Barrett had a nice game, finishing just shy of the 30-point mark. Looked like what NBA scouts would build if they could Create-a-Prospect, build wise — quick first step, long strides, long wingspan, can get to the rim in about two or three strides. Can finish creatively around the rim. Just needs to improve his shooting — he wasn't an awful shooter, but his hit rate definitely fell off in the second half as he started to get more winded. Also reflected at the foul line. All of the tools are there and then some. Reminds me a lot of Winslow physically, but more offensively gifted.

The rest of the team looked pretty sloppy, to be honest. Alex left early after being hit in the face on a rebound attempt and didn't return. Didn't really see anything new from Javin, Bolden, or White. I thought Goldwire looked quicker on the floor but none more skilled. Baker got spot minutes but didn't do much. I hope the sloppiness due to lack of true PG running things with the first unit. Also hope Reddish can shoot the rock; we'll need some more perimeter shooting.

[devilnfla]

Bolden was such a non-factor. Hope he steps it up. If you could mix his size with Javin's motor we would have something.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Bolden was such a non-factor. Hope he steps it up. If you could mix his size with Javin's motor we would have something.

Bolden's feet are just too slow to be effective in a small ball basketball league. And he isn't athletic enough to jump over defenders to finish layups/dunks and he doesn't have the touch to finish 3 footers. I know, I know, it's been one game and it's August. I hope he proves me wrong cause I'm really rooting for him to succeed.

[drummerdevil]

86-67 Duke is your final. This was basically the Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett Variety Hour.

Bilas used the word "unique" to describe Zion and I have to agree — we've never had a player like him. I haven't watched too much tape of his, so I knew he was an outstanding leaper, but he moves very very quickly for a player of his size. He had a good-looking jumper — knocked down a few open threes in the corner and one from the top of the key a la Wendell — and had a few "how did he get that?!" rebounds. He also had a big put-back dunk that brought the house down. Finished with 34 points.

Barrett had a nice game, finishing just shy of the 30-point mark.

I believe you mixed up the point totals of Zion and RJ

[mattman91]

Anyone have a link to the box score?

[kAzE]

RJ and Zion really impressed me with their passing. They were a bit sloppy at times, but both showed really good vision for finding the open man. Zion is absolutely capable of being a play initiator and looks more than comfortable bring the ball up the floor regardless of who is guarding him. What can this guy NOT do?

Given Cam and Tre's reputations as good passers, I could see this team having excellent on court chemistry, which IMO was a bit of an issue last year, when we didn't have as many talented ball handlers/passers.

We're going to have a much more fluid offense with a lot more passing and a lot less posting up than last year.

[CDu]

Things I liked:
- Williamson’s skillset is really impressive. He was the most skilled guy on the floor for us tonight. Combine that with his size and athleticism and it is frightening. He looked REALLY good
- the passing by both Williamson and Barrett. Both did an admirable job. Hopefully that translates against better comp and with more talented teammates when Jones, Barrett, and O’Connell return.
- DeLaurier hasn’t lost his energy
- Barrett’s creativity in getting layups. He was really crafty around the basket
- Williamson’s dunking isn’t just in non-game situations

Things that appear to need work:
- Barrett’s shot. It was awful. He was terrific going all the way to the hoop, but anything outside of 10 feet was an adventure
- lack of depth. This will be helped when those three guys missing return. But this team is just not going to be very deep. After the top 4, there is a big dropoff in skill/talent. Then another big dropoff appears after 6 or 7. Which will be fine if we get and stay healthy, but health will be critical this year.
- poor night for Bolden. He was largely a nonfactor. I am hoping for a strong year from him, but tonight wasn’t a great start

It is nice to get these games in to help these guys get comfortable together. Hopefully we see more like the second and third quarters as they start to figure each other out. And hopefully we stay healthy.

[weezie]

Third quarter was most enlightening. Staying calm but the Zion is as billed. Predict he will be Roger Ayers fav target.

PS the swag is awful. Duke really dropped ball on this.

[dukelifer]

A few observations. Clearly missing a lot on the team- but once Duke stopped turning the ball over in the first quarter- they played better. Zion is really good- much better than I thought. He really has a flair for the game and showed he can shoot it. His ball handing is really impressive and of course he is a spectacular leaper and rebounder. RJ can drive it, avoid contact and finish- but his shot from midrange and deep has a hitch and it is rough. The shot is also hard so it comes off the rim fast and leads to breaks for the other team. His FT shooting is also not great-which is an issue because he will be fouled a ton. I will be happy if he can be at 70%- but a Tatum he is not. Not sure he will get much better this year- but he certainly brings a lot to the team. He really needs to work on that shot for the next level. Absent Reddish and Jones, the falloff from those two guys is steep. A few nice bounds and put ins by Javin and a few threes from Jack- but not a whole lot from the bench. Bolden was pretty much a no show- not sure why. Baker is not ready for primetime but will help in practice and has a good frame. Of course losing AOC did not help. Hopefully nothing very serious- but I was interested mostly in seeing how much he improved. May need to wait until October. I expected a close game but Duke defended decently and maintained a lead. There is hope that they can be a good mtm team. But shooting woes and FT's will drive this Duke fan crazy all season.

[millerecu]

I am sure it’s already been said. Zion getting the rebound and driving full court for the finger roll in the first half was a thing of beauty for a guy 6’11” and 275 lbs.

[dukelifer]

I am sure it’s already been said. Zion getting the rebound and driving full court for the finger roll in the first half was a thing of beauty for a guy 6’11” and 275 lbs.

I think more like 6' 6" and 280.

[kAzE]

I’m actually not that worried about the shooting anymore. I suspect RJ will have hot and cold games from deep, as he certainly was not shy about jacking up shots. He’ll be inconsistent from 3 but he plays really hard on both ends and is relentless going to the rim.

On the other hand, Zion can shoot. I did not think he would be able to hit shots, but since he can, this really opens up the floor. Between Zion, Cam, Alex, and Jack, I think there’s enough shooting to keep defenses honest. Plus, we are such a dangerous driving AND passing team, I think there will be plenty of wide open looks to be had from driving/kicking out action.

We will see with Tre and RJ, but I don’t think either of them are going to be Trevon Duval from deep.

[dukelion]

My quick thoughts...

RJ can get to the paint at will but his jumpshot looks very streaky. As does his FT shooting.
Jack White will get significant minutes...think he was 3-7 from deep but his stroke looks very good. Might be our best shooter.
Bolden had a terrible game....couldn't hold onto the ball and not sure he even attempted a shot....disappointing start.
Javin was solid on the boards and even hit a nice floater in the lane. He could start at the 5.
Vrank looked decent as well....might be our best post player.
Goldwire looked like he could run the team if needed.
Remember we were without Cam, Tre and AOC....that's a lot of minutes right there.

As for Zion...wow...just wow. His handle was much better than I thought, 3-4 from three, nice passing as well. Most impressive to me was his rebounding. He skyed above everyone. One play in the first half he went stratosphere for the board then took like two strides and laid it in...amazing. Dude will be the #1 pick in the draft...book it.

Wasn't much set offense as it was mostly isos for RJ and Zion...think RJ took 30 shots.

And I could see zone again being our base D...just so much length and athleticism.

[UrinalCake]

Zion definitely showed a more complete game than I was expecting. Any fears of him being "just a dunker" were allayed. His passing and ball-handling were impressive, as was his motor. He really went after the ball and got several rebounds by just outworking everybody else. He also defended out on the perimeter pretty well, I know the level of competition was low but that was good to see.

I was genuinely shocked when they put up Barrett's stat line late in the game and he had 29 points. From watching the game I thought he had 18 or so. Really efficient scoring. I thought coming in that Barrett would be the team's alpha dog, but based on this game it looks like he and Zion will compete for that role.

The team as a whole started off sloppy, as you'd expect from a young team without their point guard. They cleaned that up as they got settled in. Bolden's performance was a little disappointing, and we'll have to see if any of the bench guys are worthy of more than just spot minutes. Javin was a great energy guy but looked pretty similar to last year around this time. Same with White. Hope Alex is okay.

[sagegrouse]

Only caught a few minutes between meetings. The only thing I have to say definitively is about the gi-normous Duke decal at center court. Holy, moly! It seems like we have invaded Canada and planted our flag. Is this being more than a little pushy?

Kindly,
Sage

[proelitedota]

Only caught a few minutes between meetings. The only thing I have to say definitively is about the gi-normous Duke decal at center court. Holy, moly! It seems like we have invaded Canada and planted our flag. Is this being more than a little pushy?

Kindly,
Sage

We're just a bit late in finishing the job we started 206 years ago...

[DukieTiger]

Zion definitely showed a more complete game than I was expecting. Any fears of him being "just a dunker" were allayed. His passing and ball-handling were impressive, as was his motor. He really went after the ball and got several rebounds by just outworking everybody else. He also defended out on the perimeter pretty well, I know the level of competition was low but that was good to see.

I was genuinely shocked when they put up Barrett's stat line late in the game and he had 29 points. From watching the game I thought he had 18 or so. Really efficient scoring. I thought coming in that Barrett would be the team's alpha dog, but based on this game it looks like he and Zion will compete for that role.

The team as a whole started off sloppy, as you'd expect from a young team without their point guard. They cleaned that up as they got settled in. Bolden's performance was a little disappointing, and we'll have to see if any of the bench guys are worthy of more than just spot minutes. Javin was a great energy guy but looked pretty similar to last year around this time. Same with White. Hope Alex is okay.

Agree with most everything you said, but wanted to clarify one point. RJ put up 34 points, but it was on at least 30 shots and 14 free throw attempts (according to Bilases commentary as the game was still happening).

Not going to overreact to one game, but wanted to comment because my main impression of RJ tonight was that he seemed to be pressing, was rather inefficient, and struggled when he wasn’t able to get to the rim. That said, I was super impressed with his passing and his craftiness while attacking the basket. Sometimes, shots don’t fall. I’d bet he scores 25+ again on this trip in significantly fewer attempts.

He’s obviously going to be a stud for Duke and I really enjoyed watching him play, even on an off-shooting night while carrying an offense missing 3 of its top 6 offensive talents.