There was a time year in year out we had good three point shooters. We were known for making more foul shots than our opponents took, and we had consistent foul shooting which obviously helps in close games. Those factors should not matter whether one and done or 4 year based teams. Now when we shoot free throws especially at the end of games, I cross my fingers and close my eyes. For years now, we usually leave too many points off the board ( is that the right expression)
Here's Duke's FT% for all of Coach K's 42 years at Duke:
* so farCode:Year FT% 1990 76.35% 2017 76.25% 2006 76.13% 2010 75.86% 2011 75.30% 1992 74.78% 2022* 74.60% 2000 74.19% 1983 73.90% 2013 73.87% 2004 73.60% 2014 72.92% 1991 72.64% 1984 72.40% 2016 72.29% 1993 72.08% 2009 71.99% 2020 71.98% 1988 71.85% 1986 71.60% 2005 71.25% 2003 71.24% 1994 71.14% 2018 71.05% 1987 70.98% 1999 70.48% 1996 70.30% 2012 70.14% 1997 70.04% 2015 69.87% 2008 69.72% 2001 69.56% 1985 69.30% 2021 69.08% 2002 68.98% 2007 68.91% 2019 68.62% 1982 67.90% 1981 67.70% 1989 67.47% 1998 67.40% 1995 67.05%
If we keep up our current pace this year's team would be the 7th best FT shooting team of Coach K's time at Duke. Perhaps you should open your eyes.
You imply we've been poor at FT shooting "for years now," but 7 of our top 15 FT shooting teams have come since 2010.
Also, we've made more free throws this season than our opponents have attempted (103 to 80).
Last edited by Kedsy; 12-04-2021 at 03:53 PM.
There is always the question of how teams shoot when there is game pressure. Or how many front ends of one and ones are missed etc. Raw FT shooting % does not reveal everything. All that said- Duke shot 60% against Gonzaga in a close game and 75% against OSU. They are probably going to be in the low 70’s for the season. The question for me is whether anyone will end up above 40% in threes.
As long we're hitting 33% as a team and getting good open looks, that should be enough to space the floor. I don't believe this team needs to shoot a ton of 3s to win. We're taking too many 3s, IMO, and we're not good enough on the offensive glass to get 2nd shots on misses. We would be more efficient if we played to our strengths: get the ball inside via drive or pass and force the defense to play a physical game. This team is bigger/stronger/more athletic at multiple positions all the time. Shooting a ton of 3s is exactly what opposing coaches want us to do.
Some of the most frustrating moments from the 2nd half of the Ohio State game for me were when we kept taking bad shots early in the shot clock. And when we did get it in the paint, we took shots trying to avoid contact (fades, floaters). The officials definitely had something to do with this, since it seemed like the entire team was allergic to contact in the final 4 minutes of the game. Those ticky tack charge calls earlier in the half made us change the way we attacked them.
Really enjoyed the front page article from Mr. Sumner that recaps the Zoom conference from Nolan Smith. He echoes a lot of what we've been discussing here since the OSU game - lack of ball movement on offense, lack of team play leading to bad shots, and a sense of contentment after the big Gonzaga win. Really good point about missing kickouts to open shooters. When you trade a potential wide open shot for a heavily contested shot, over the course of the game you're costing yourself a lot of points.
I like the term "team shot," meaning the best shot that the team can get rather than the best shot an individual can get. That must be a really hard concept to instill in young players who have been the focal point of their offense for their whole lives, but maybe a loss will help develop a teaching moment. Also it's good to know that the coaches are in fact aware that players get tired when they play too many minutes, and that a bench can help offset that .
Reading between the lines a little, it sounds like there wasn't much time to teach or develop in between the Gonzaga and OSU games, but now that they have a break and some easier games they can make adjustments and put some new wrinkles in place. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the team looks over the upcoming stretch.
Thanks, UC, for your excellent post. I also really like the term "team shot" -- that there's a synthetic team buildup to any single shot taken.
I'm also struck by Coach K's delegating to a young assistant coach, Nolan, the task and opportunity of articulating to the media the learnings from a significant team loss [our only one this season]. I would have been positively impressed by giving this task to Scheyer. To give this role to Nolan is impressive and encouraging. And, IMV, Nolan did a great job -- he was honest, insightful and supportive of his players.
“I love it. Coach, when we came here, we had a three-hour meeting about the core values. If you really represent the core values, it means diving on the floor, sacrificing your body for your teammates, no matter how much you’re up by or how much you’re down by, always playing hard.” -- Zion