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  1. #61
    Ok, yea I know Dukes’ young team lost . I know they fell behind out of the gate again. I know they need to shoot freethrows better and execute better offense. But I will say right now that we have found our go to guy and his name is Jalen Johnson! What a performance! Just sit back everybody and watch this guy from here on out. If Wendell Moore rounds into shape, which it looks like he is beginning to, to go along with Hurt and now Johnson, lookout! This young team is only going to keep getting better and , yea, I wish they had managed to win. But I am excited to watch this young team grow and improve. Hold on to your seat belts everybody!

  2. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by peteandpete View Post
    The decision to zone was a good one. Let's be honest; we had no one who could guard their main guy. Hopefully, the foul disparity was an aberration. Teams playing that much zone seldom commit that many fouls.
    Haha, well the zone certainly didn't help us contain Champagnie at all! If that was the motivation, the zone failed. The zone also got other Pitt players going. Xavier Johnson is a decent PG but he racked up a season high 11 assists because he kept finding teammates who exploited holes in our zone. (Whereas our m2m historically has kept opponent assists low because our switching and pressure take them out of their sets.) You argue that the fouls were an "aberration" as you put it but maybe not if we're literally playing the defense for the first time in a live game; we didn't move well enough in the zone because we're inexperienced in it, and thus we fouled. Coach always talks about the importance of gaining experience and playing instinctively, and going to a brand new defense seems to cut against that.

    Finally, another thing is that a 3-2 zone is supposed to be used against an opponent that's very good at shooting the ball but isn't good at attacking the basket; Pitt is the opposite of that, and I'm not surprised that they were able to score well around the basket against our 3-2 zone. It just seems like a bad decision, and I wish we had just taken our chances in m2m against Pitt's #91-ranked offense. Going into the game, I definitely was not thinking, "Oh boy we're not going to be able to guard this team; I hope to see some sort of junk defense to surprise them."

  3. #63
    Quote Originally Posted by FerryFor50 View Post
    Baker manages to have 1 or 2 fantastic defensive hustle plays every game, but seems to negate it with a turnover or a bad shooting foul.

    Love his motor, but he needs to learn how to control it better.
    Agreed. The hustle plays he makes are always great to see, they can really spark the team at times. He just look lost offensively unfortunately. Playing with zero confidence.

  4. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by Acymetric View Post
    The team fought really hard to make it a game down the stretch after getting down big, so big props for that. On the other hand, I see a fair amount of optimism about what this team can be this year, and I just don't see it. I don't think we're a very good team, and I don't see the potential for us to develop into a very good team this season. I'm starting to feel a little apprehensive/pessimistic even about next season, although I haven't looked too deep into who our incoming recruits will be.
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    As for this year, I disagree on the potential. We have now two guys capable of first-team All-ACC level, and a third playing on the fringe of third-team level. That alone should keep us competitive. What we lack is cohesion and decision-making, along with few good shooters. Hopefully Coach K can get Roach to stop shooting so many 3s (he seems to have gotten the ballhandling message to Moore) and we build the offense around Johnson and Hurt.
    Yeah, I agree with CDu. The potential is pretty easy to see, imo, but the question is the consistency. Jalen put up a Coppin St-like stat line (except it was even more impressive since it came against a pretty good ACC team in Pitt), but when's the next time we will see a great performance from him? He followed up Coppin St with three poor games. If the vast majority of Jalen's remaining games this season are played at yesterday's level (not necessarily meaning he will produce that kind of stat line), then like CDu said, he's a first-team ACC player. Heck, an All-American. Matt had a poor game yesterday (for him, as he still put up a 111 offensive rating), but he's been very consistent before that and could be / should be first-team ACC. Wendell yesterday played like a high-end 3-and-D role player. If we can get him to continue playing that style of ball (one where he doesn't create/dribble much, thus limiting turnovers) and shoot confidently like he did yesterday and against BC, then he's one of the best two-way starting SFs in the league. Overall, if Jalen and Wendell play to their potential with Matt-like consistency, that's one of the best and versatile frontcourts in the country. But it's "show me" time for the consistency, especially in Wendell's case.

    As for the guards, DJ is very likely shooting several points below his true shooting ability right now, as he's only 31% from three. So there's upside potential there if he can start shooting like he's capable of. Jeremy probably needs to dial down his usage and shot-hunting and play like more of a role-player. The great news is that if Jalen performs consistently, then there will hopefully be a trickle-down effect where Jeremy won't be forcing things as much, as Duke uses Jalen's great passing ability and court vision to distribute in the halfcourt. Jeremy strikes me as someone who's going to have lot of success cutting to the basket and getting fed by Jalen from the high post.

    There are lot of ifs in my post, of course. But the point is that I *can* visualize this team's potential to be very good. The key will be how consistently our guys play to their potential. If, for example, Jalen and Wendell only play well once every three games, that's not going to be good for Duke.

  5. #65
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    Yeah, I'll definitely echo the comments others have made about decision-making/poise. Even Johnson, who was spectacular, was guilty (as mentioned the pass to Tape on the break and the cheap fouls, but also a pass to Baker who was cutting into traffic). Roach was guilty of poor shot selection and some sloppy misses on good shots. And the team just generally didn't seem to make good game decisions at key moments. That's the sign of a young team trying to figure things out. But we need to get less young quickly.

    The good news is that Johnson was a stud. The offense needs to run through him, and we really need to work on creating opportunities for Hurt to play off Johnson (and vice versa). They can potentially be a really dynamic force together. But simply put having both of them is going to make us much more legitimate a threat offensively.

    I was pleased with Moore, who really seemed to thrive playing off Johnson. Having Johnson along with the guards really allows us to minimize Moore's dribbling, which is good. And teams will have to focus much more on Johnson as well, which helps clear lanes for Moore. Hopefully Moore can build off of this, because he provides a lot of potential value if he's not a ball-stopping, turnover machine on offense.

    The duo of Roach and Steward had some good and some bad. Steward continues to struggle with his shooting, which is a problem as he is supposed to be a good shooter. Roach ISN'T a good shooter, and he's showing that too much. He needs to stop shooting 3s. He can still be a weapon (in fact, perhaps a better one) without forcing 3s. I'm still bullish on those guys, but last night was not a strong night for them.

    The decline of Brakefield is a bit more concerning, as it is forcing us to play Tape and Williams too much. Our two centers have just not been good, and I think we need to accept that and hope that Brakefield can rebound to somewhere between his apex and his recent play. The shooting and lack of rebounding have disappeared for him: 2 rebounds per game and 0-6 on 3s in 65 minutes over the past 4 games.

  6. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    Yeah, I agree with CDu. The potential is pretty easy to see, imo, but the question is the consistency. Jalen put up a Coppin St-like stat line (except it was even more impressive since it came against a pretty good ACC team in Pitt), but when's the next time we will see a great performance from him? He followed up Coppin St with three poor games. If the vast majority of Jalen's remaining games this season are played at yesterday's level (not necessarily meaning he will produce that kind of stat line), then like CDu said, he's a first-team ACC player. Heck, an All-American. Matt had a poor game yesterday (for him, as he still put up a 111 offensive rating), but he's been very consistent before that and could be / should be first-team ACC. Wendell yesterday played like a high-end 3-and-D role player. If we can get him to continue playing that style of ball (one where he doesn't create/dribble much, thus limiting turnovers) and shoot confidently like he did yesterday and against BC, then he's one of the best two-way starting SFs in the league. Overall, if Jalen and Wendell play to their potential with Matt-like consistency, that's one of the best and versatile frontcourts in the country. But it's "show me" time for the consistency, especially in Wendell's case.

    As for the guards, DJ is very likely shooting several points below his true shooting ability right now, as he's only 31% from three. So there's upside potential there if he can start shooting like he's capable of. Jeremy probably needs to dial down his usage and shot-hunting and play like more of a role-player. The great news is that if Jalen performs consistently, then there will hopefully be a trickle-down effect where Jeremy won't be forcing things as much, as Duke uses Jalen's great passing ability and court vision to distribute in the halfcourt. Jeremy strikes me as someone who's going to have lot of success cutting to the basket and getting fed by Jalen from the high post.

    There are lot of ifs in my post, of course. But the point is that I *can* visualize this team's potential to be very good. The key will be how consistently our guys play to their potential. If, for example, Jalen and Wendell only play well once every three games, that's not going to be good for Duke.
    Yeah, this summarizes it nice, Troublemaker. I know you and I are both bullish on Steward's abilities (you probably even moreso than me); he just needs to start making shots, because that opens everything else up for him. I'm also bullish on Roach's abilities, but he's got to learn time-and-place stuff (or in the case of 3pt shooting, it's probably that there isn't a time or place that he should be shooting them). I agree that his ability to attack the rim should play very well off of Johnson's passing from the perimeter, from the elbow, or even from the post. I think as Roach and Steward get more game reps with Johnson as the focal point, they may take off.

    Last night was also the near ideal version of Moore: versatile defender, crafty off-ball play, minimal dribbling (keep it simple), hitting open shots. Worth noting that if we DO play more zone moving forward, his length and ranginess are a plus. I don't expect every game to be like last night for him, but if he can be a 10-15 points type of guy with minimal turnovers? Yeah, that's perfect as a 4th/5th option as long as at least one of the guards is solid.

    The real key is Johnson. The game against Pitt was not a fluke. Frankly, his per-minute performances have been good to terrific all season. But at the same time, we saw glimpses of the issues that got him in trouble before he got hurt: too many ticky-tack fouls, and occasional sloppy decision-making. But in terms of talent, he's perhaps the most talented player in the conference, and if he can stay on the floor games like last night SHOULD happen often. He just makes himself such a presence when he's on the floor.

    If Johnson is playing like a 1st Team guy/PoY candidate and Hurt continues to play like a first-team guy as well, it's hard to imagine the team continuing to struggle. That's even ignoring the potential nightmares that that duo could work together with their theoretically complementary skill set. And there is enough talent around those two guys to win. Whether or not they get there remains to be seen, but I think the talent is there that we COULD be good.

  7. #67
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    scottdude8 is offline Moderator, Contributor, Zoubek disciple, and resident Wolverine
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    I didn't mention this in my front page article, but again I think it's critical to remember where this team is relative to the "typical" season. This was game 9 for these guys, and only game 5 with a full strength Jalen Johnson. In a typical year, our Game 9 likely be against some sort of mid-major competition against whom we could overcome a disjointed effort with a stellar performance by a star. Against a quality ACC opponent, Jalen's performance wasn't enough.

    If this was a typical year and we just saw Jalen do what he did, combined with the effect it seemed to have on Wendell, in Game 9, I think we'd be feeling pretty good. This year is anything but typical.

    Remember, we aren't the only team struggling like this. Outside of the top tier of Gonzaga and Baylor, and the second tier that is more debatable but likely includes Michigan, Iowa, and maybe Texas/Virginia/Nova, most teams are still developing and will look drastically different in March. With that in mind, more than any season I can remember this year is NOT about what seed we are come tourney time (I think the "sky is falling" crowd talking about us missing the tourney entirely are being way too pessimistic, but I acknowledge the possibility), and more about the type of team we are in March. If we end up a seven seed, but a seven seed with a fully integrated Jalen Johnson and our sophomores in Hurt and Moore having taken the step forward we all envisioned preseason, no one is going to feel confident against us outside of Gonzaga and Baylor.

    We're trained as Duke fans to panic at every loss. But this year we have to view things more in terms of the development of this team, sometimes independent of the results. In the last 15 minutes last night I saw a team that took a major step forward. We need to take another one on Saturday.
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  8. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    The decline of Brakefield is a bit more concerning, as it is forcing us to play Tape and Williams too much.
    Relative to preseason expectation, I don’t think this is a huge concern. Most of us expected very little from Brakefield and even questioned whether he would redshirt. We did expect Williams to be in the rotation and for Tape to provide about the amount that he has.

    Brakefield’s size and skill set overlaps too much with Hurt and Johnson so I’m okay with him not getting much playing time. The fact that Williams is giving us nothing is a concern (perhaps that is indirectly what you meant by your comment). If we could keep a rim protector on the floor I think that would go a long way towards helping our defense, but I think missing the preseason really stunted Williams and there’s not time for him to learn on the fly when we’re in a dogfight every game.

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    Yeah, this summarizes it nice, Troublemaker. I know you and I are both bullish on Steward's abilities (you probably even moreso than me); he just needs to start making shots, because that opens everything else up for him. I'm also bullish on Roach's abilities, but he's got to learn time-and-place stuff (or in the case of 3pt shooting, it's probably that there isn't a time or place that he should be shooting them). I agree that his ability to attack the rim should play very well off of Johnson's passing from the perimeter, from the elbow, or even from the post. I think as Roach and Steward get more game reps with Johnson as the focal point, they may take off.

    Last night was also the near ideal version of Moore: versatile defender, crafty off-ball play, minimal dribbling (keep it simple), hitting open shots. Worth noting that if we DO play more zone moving forward, his length and ranginess are a plus. I don't expect every game to be like last night for him, but if he can be a 10-15 points type of guy with minimal turnovers? Yeah, that's perfect as a 4th/5th option as long as at least one of the guards is solid.

    The real key is Johnson. The game against Pitt was not a fluke. Frankly, his per-minute performances have been good to terrific all season. But at the same time, we saw glimpses of the issues that got him in trouble before he got hurt: too many ticky-tack fouls, and occasional sloppy decision-making. But in terms of talent, he's perhaps the most talented player in the conference, and if he can stay on the floor games like last night SHOULD happen often. He just makes himself such a presence when he's on the floor.

    If Johnson is playing like a 1st Team guy/PoY candidate and Hurt continues to play like a first-team guy as well, it's hard to imagine the team continuing to struggle. That's even ignoring the potential nightmares that that duo could work together with their theoretically complementary skill set. And there is enough talent around those two guys to win. Whether or not they get there remains to be seen, but I think the talent is there that we COULD be good.
    I think Johnson is one of those players whose competitive fire is a good and bad thing.

    He can really positively impact the game, but he will also make dumb mistakes (like fouls) and sometimes bark at his teammates too much.

  10. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by UrinalCake View Post
    Relative to preseason expectation, I don’t think this is a huge concern. Most of us expected very little from Brakefield and even questioned whether he would redshirt. We did expect Williams to be in the rotation and for Tape to provide about the amount that he has.

    Brakefield’s size and skill set overlaps too much with Hurt and Johnson so I’m okay with him not getting much playing time. The fact that Williams is giving us nothing is a concern (perhaps that is indirectly what you meant by your comment). If we could keep a rim protector on the floor I think that would go a long way towards helping our defense, but I think missing the preseason really stunted Williams and there’s not time for him to learn on the fly when we’re in a dogfight every game.
    Yes, certainly relative to preseason Brakefield is performing well. But given that it doesn't seem like Tape and Williams are ready to contribute, Brakefield needs to play better than he has. Maybe Tape or Williams gets better with time this year and we get back to preseason rotation expectations. But as is, I feel more confident in Brakefield being useful this year than I do either Tape or Williams. I've at least seen it multiple times from him, whereas the two centers have continually looked overmatched.

    As for Brakefield's overlap with Hurt and Johnson, I actually view that as a feature rather than a bug. It should allow us to play a more consistent style of play with him (and Moore) filling in for Johnson and Hurt as needed. He isn't as good a shooter as Hurt and he's far less talented than Johnson, but he can at least play a similar style of game on both ends.

  11. #71
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    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    As for Brakefield's overlap with Hurt and Johnson, I actually view that as a feature rather than a bug.
    I’ve used that line myself many times in my software development work. It’s not a bug, it’s a “feature”!

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by rsvman View Post
    What can I say that hasn't already been said? Y'all saw the same game that I saw.

    THE GOOD
    Jalen Johnson can flat-out beast. This should close the mouths of those who said he couldn't play well against decent competition, or that his flashes of brilliance were just a fluke. The guy is a baller. Foul trouble and the injury has hidden that fact from some people, but it's no secret anymore.

    Moore looked like a solid ACC player out there and did exactly what we need him to do. His relative maturity on the court was also very welcome.

    THE BAD
    Team defense was not very good. How to you allow Sham-penny open looks when he's one of only two guys on their team that was hot? It happened over and over again.

    Guard shooting/outside shooting in general. Horrible. We had some good looks, and also some forced shots; outcome was the same regardless.

    "Big guys that don't start." Collectively, they weren't good. Offensively they don't go up strong enough. On defense their rotations are too slow.

    THE UGLY
    Baker. I've been a big proponent of Baker, and he played well against Virginia Tech, but holy crap he was awful last night.

    Spotting the other team 8-14 points in every single game. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! For the life of me I can't understand why they come out looking like they're not really sure which sport is being played. After spotting the other team a sizable lead, we generally play them even for the rest of the game, proving that we are just as good as the other team. Why do we want to start the game in the hole, over and over again? I just don't understand what is happening. If Coach K understood it, he would've solved it by now, so I suspect he is just as flummoxed as we are.
    Since slow starts are a huge issue, perhaps we should actually start our 5 best players.

  13. #73
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottdude8 View Post
    I didn't mention this in my front page article, but again I think it's critical to remember where this team is relative to the "typical" season. This was game 9 for these guys, and only game 5 with a full strength Jalen Johnson. In a typical year, our Game 9 likely be against some sort of mid-major competition against whom we could overcome a disjointed effort with a stellar performance by a star. Against a quality ACC opponent, Jalen's performance wasn't enough.

    If this was a typical year and we just saw Jalen do what he did, combined with the effect it seemed to have on Wendell, in Game 9, I think we'd be feeling pretty good. This year is anything but typical.

    Remember, we aren't the only team struggling like this. Outside of the top tier of Gonzaga and Baylor, and the second tier that is more debatable but likely includes Michigan, Iowa, and maybe Texas/Virginia/Nova, most teams are still developing and will look drastically different in March. With that in mind, more than any season I can remember this year is NOT about what seed we are come tourney time (I think the "sky is falling" crowd talking about us missing the tourney entirely are being way too pessimistic, but I acknowledge the possibility), and more about the type of team we are in March. If we end up a seven seed, but a seven seed with a fully integrated Jalen Johnson and our sophomores in Hurt and Moore having taken the step forward we all envisioned preseason, no one is going to feel confident against us outside of Gonzaga and Baylor.

    We're trained as Duke fans to panic at every loss. But this year we have to view things more in terms of the development of this team, sometimes independent of the results. In the last 15 minutes last night I saw a team that took a major step forward. We need to take another one on Saturday.
    I smell a pie in my future!

  14. #74
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    Here's what we shot last night - 38.6% from the field; 28.6% from 3 pt. line; 57.9% from the free throw line.

    Folks, any way you cut it, that's losing basketball.
    "This is the best of all possible worlds."
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  15. #75
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    Duke is now 73-219 from 3 for 33.3%. Making one out of every three 3-point attempts ain’t great. This team still has time to become a better 3-point shooting team but I’ll bet it isn’t their bread and butter this season. I would like to see more on the ball pressure on defense and trying to force turnovers and get out into transition with Duke’s quick guards for easy baskets or layups. Hurt, Brakefield, and Johnson should be shooting the majority of the deep balls.

    This Duke team is also just 92-138 from the free throw line for 66.7%. Making 2 out of every 3 free throws ain’t great either.

    I am ok with Duke’s rebounding efforts.

    The offense continues to appear disjointed at times and the flow gets broken up. I am not counting this team out yet, since some nice pieces are there. I am excited to see how the team responds at Louisville Saturday.

    If Duke gets 20 ACC games in, I still think they can win 11-13 which when paired with a couple wins in the ACCT, could get them into the NCAAT.

    This team hopefully will look better in February/March than it did in January.

  16. #76
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    Looking at this from 5000 feet

    Looking at the team from 5000 feet instead of where the games are played, I'd suggest it looks like this. We were expecting to have three lead dogs: Johnson, Hurt and Moore, with a strong defensive stopper and evolving point guard distributor. The three lead dogs have never shown up together and may not, but if you took the best game from each of them and rolled them out on the same night, we'd be in the national title discussion. While that doesn't look like a possibility now, that was kind of what we were hoping for out of the gate. In turn, the failure of Johnson and Moore -- for different reasons -- to have as of yet shown up as consistent offensive forces, required both Roach and Steward to do more scoring than expected and taken them both out of their games a little.

    Imagine that we evolve to get a strong night out of two of three contemplated lead dogs every night and that this allows Roach to evolve into the best distributor he can be, for Steward to be an offensive and rebounding wild card, and Goldwire to focus as a defensive stopper. That doesn't seem like a stretch and seems like a fundamentally different team than we have seen. It's at least a reason to believe.
    GTHC

  17. #77
    Quote Originally Posted by Sixthman View Post
    Looking at the team from 5000 feet instead of where the games are played, I'd suggest it looks like this. We were expecting to have three lead dogs: Johnson, Hurt and Moore, with a strong defensive stopper and evolving point guard distributor. The three lead dogs have never shown up together and may not, but if you took the best game from each of them and rolled them out on the same night, we'd be in the national title discussion. While that doesn't look like a possibility now, that was kind of what we were hoping for out of the gate. In turn, the failure of Johnson and Moore -- for different reasons -- to have as of yet shown up as consistent offensive forces, required both Roach and Steward to do more scoring than expected and taken them both out of their games a little.

    Imagine that we evolve to get a strong night out of two of three contemplated lead dogs every night and that this allows Roach to evolve into the best distributor he can be, for Steward to be an offensive and rebounding wild card, and Goldwire to focus as a defensive stopper. That doesn't seem like a stretch and seems like a fundamentally different team than we have seen. It's at least a reason to believe.
    Your 5000ft view coincides with mine quite well. JJ's time away allowed for Roach and Steward to get more comfortable with attacking on offense instead of being passive, which is good. Now, they just need to figure out to be more comfortable in slightly different roles, for Roach, more passing & less 3s, and for Steward to hunt his shots and opportunistic scoring.

  18. #78
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    More Tape? Really? I think last night was sort of a "OK we're gonna give you some minutes. Let's see what you've got" kind of opportunity for Patrick, and the results were not good. He's trying out there, but I think it's pretty obvious that he is not an ACC-caliber player. He just doesn't have the athleticism, he has no springs, he can't finish inside, and I don't see him really doing much positive out there at all. He's got a big body -- maybe too big below the waist -- but what skills has he exhibited? I'm sure he's a great kid but I'm not sure what the staff saw in him to think he can contribute at this level. So I won't be surprised if his minutes are limited going forward.

    Problem is Williams clearly isn't ready. His body and his game aren't developed at all. He may be a contributor in the future, but not this year. If one of them needs to be in the game to provide size -- which I think will be rare -- I'd prefer it to be Williams to give him the opportunity to develop now, as we'll need him next year.

    Brakefield got everyone excited with his three point shooting earlier in the year for a few games, but that has fallen off drastically. He's a good athlete and seems comfortable out there, but as others have noted too, his defense is poor. He got beat baseline last night and tried to sort of follow his man or maybe try to recover with his back to the driving Pitt player. Huh? It was almost comically bad. He was pulled very soon thereafter, never to return. We may need him to play some minutes as a bigger guy (although I don't see him at all as a power player as some do) but if he can't play D and his shot isn't falling, then . . .

    I could easily be wrong here, but I think last night could be a sign of decreasing playing time to come for Goldwire. It's possible that K is realizing that when Jordan is out there, we are essentially playing 4 on 5 on offense, and with this team we just can't do that. Yes he is really good as an on-ball defender (usually) but his skill set as a distributor and shooter really are problematic. And also maybe K wants to just have Roach and Steward play through all their issues, make their mistakes, learn, and improve, and give them the minutes to do so as a duo, rather than as a trio with JG. Or not. Just a thought.

    On the positive side, obviously Jalen Johnson showed why he was so highly touted coming out of high school and why he will be coveted by the NBA. That was a lottery pick performance last night, no question about it. If we can have him playing at a high level, plus last night's Wendell Moore, and a more normal Matt Hurt performance, that is something to build on. Then it really becomes a question of the freshman guards. Can they "get it" in time, learn to make better decisions, set up teammates, and of course hit some jumpshots? Both have had some nice moments and both have frequently struggled. We have to have them playing smarter, and we have to have them making open jumpshots. DJ Steward is the starting shooting guard on a high major team, coming out of HS with a reputation as a knock down shooter. So far, he has simply not been anywhere close to that, and we need him to be. Our guards repeatedly missing wide open jumpers not only hurts us badly on the scoreboard, but it's demoralizing.

    I'm hopeful that under K's tutelage, the guys are gonna "get it" and learn to play better both individually and as a team. I'm realistic though as to the overall talent level of this team, which per Duke's standards, is pretty low. Thankfully the ACC is pretty mediocre this year, so there will be lots of opportunities for an improving team to win games. We can be that improving team, but we have to start making those improvements now. Right now.

  19. #79
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    attack mode

    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    Coach Capel has learned a few things from Coach K:

    His team consistently played harder
    His team built a lead by closing out the 1st half strongly, and starting well in the 2nd half
    His team made more free throws than his opponents' free throw attempts
    Capel's team had better shot selection and better shooting % than his opponent
    My impression for years watching Duke under Coach K is that the team was really aggressive at the start of the game, closing the first half and coming out of the locker room at the half.

    It just hasn't seemed the same for the past five or so years (I'm generalizing here I know)...Is it just my perception or do others have the same? Last year, I often thought they looked cold going on to the court...as in not warmed up physically and not revved up mentally.

  20. #80
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    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by tommy View Post
    More Tape? Really? I think last night was sort of a "OK we're gonna give you some minutes. Let's see what you've got" kind of opportunity for Patrick, and the results were not good. He's trying out there, but I think it's pretty obvious that he is not an ACC-caliber player. He just doesn't have the athleticism, he has no springs, he can't finish inside, and I don't see him really doing much positive out there at all. He's got a big body -- maybe too big below the waist -- but what skills has he exhibited? I'm sure he's a great kid but I'm not sure what the staff saw in him to think he can contribute at this level. So I won't be surprised if his minutes are limited going forward.

    Problem is Williams clearly isn't ready. His body and his game aren't developed at all. He may be a contributor in the future, but not this year. If one of them needs to be in the game to provide size -- which I think will be rare -- I'd prefer it to be Williams to give him the opportunity to develop now, as we'll need him next year.

    Brakefield got everyone excited with his three point shooting earlier in the year for a few games, but that has fallen off drastically. He's a good athlete and seems comfortable out there, but as others have noted too, his defense is poor. He got beat baseline last night and tried to sort of follow his man or maybe try to recover with his back to the driving Pitt player. Huh? It was almost comically bad. He was pulled very soon thereafter, never to return. We may need him to play some minutes as a bigger guy (although I don't see him at all as a power player as some do) but if he can't play D and his shot isn't falling, then . . .

    I could easily be wrong here, but I think last night could be a sign of decreasing playing time to come for Goldwire. It's possible that K is realizing that when Jordan is out there, we are essentially playing 4 on 5 on offense, and with this team we just can't do that. Yes he is really good as an on-ball defender (usually) but his skill set as a distributor and shooter really are problematic. And also maybe K wants to just have Roach and Steward play through all their issues, make their mistakes, learn, and improve, and give them the minutes to do so as a duo, rather than as a trio with JG. Or not. Just a thought.

    On the positive side, obviously Jalen Johnson showed why he was so highly touted coming out of high school and why he will be coveted by the NBA. That was a lottery pick performance last night, no question about it. If we can have him playing at a high level, plus last night's Wendell Moore, and a more normal Matt Hurt performance, that is something to build on. Then it really becomes a question of the freshman guards. Can they "get it" in time, learn to make better decisions, set up teammates, and of course hit some jumpshots? Both have had some nice moments and both have frequently struggled. We have to have them playing smarter, and we have to have them making open jumpshots. DJ Steward is the starting shooting guard on a high major team, coming out of HS with a reputation as a knock down shooter. So far, he has simply not been anywhere close to that, and we need him to be. Our guards repeatedly missing wide open jumpers not only hurts us badly on the scoreboard, but it's demoralizing.

    I'm hopeful that under K's tutelage, the guys are gonna "get it" and learn to play better both individually and as a team. I'm realistic though as to the overall talent level of this team, which per Duke's standards, is pretty low. Thankfully the ACC is pretty mediocre this year, so there will be lots of opportunities for an improving team to win games. We can be that improving team, but we have to start making those improvements now. Right now.
    Nice post. I agree with you on a lot of things, but the sad reality is that, if your predictions/conclusions above at true, we're reduced to a 5.5-6.5 man rotation. Which probably suits Coach K just fine (and would upset a lot of fans).

    I know it's only been two performances, but Jalen is a stud and an alpha dog. Couple him with Hurt and you have two star players. Moore has calmed down and playing his game: don't force mediocre mid-range shots nor dribble the ball. Roach is a nice player but he shoots too much. I want to see him drive, and drive a lot. Kick it out to Jalen who can do magic with the ball (pass, shoot, or drive). Steward is out of control, but you can see the potential. He needs a lot of work to reign in that energy.

    I really like Goldwire. I hate when he has the ball on a fast break or when he has the ball with <5 seconds left on the shot clock. He needs to be an opportunistic scorer and not a key contributor to the offense. Brakefield, like the mentioned, doesn't offer much when his 3pt shot isn't falling. His D isn't good and he doesn't bang down low.

    Then there are the others. Oh boy. Williams isn't ready for ACC play. He's too slow for smaller, lighter players and he gets destroyed by heavier players. The number of times his shot is off because he had to alter it last second is astounding. Tape shows why Duke doesn't aggressively go after mid-major type players; he's not an ACC-caliber player. Baker is shooting 18% from 3, and that's with good shot selection (because he's incredibly passive with the ball). He doesn't offer anything on the offensive end other than the perception of being a good shooter. To sum it up, Baker has not been good this year. And Coleman? If options A, B, and C aren't working, let's try D. What's the difference at this point?

    I think there is a clear 5 with Goldwire not far behind and Brakefield as needed wing/big man depth in case of foul trouble. But yeah, let's face it. Unlike all of our expectations in the beginning of the year, this isn't a deep team.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

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