I enjoy every Duke win, but the wins vs. Wake are sweet because as any former commenter at accboards will remember, their fans are a pretty pompous crew.
No one is a bigger fan of Jack than me around here, but there's a difference between being a GREAT role player and All-ACC, which is usually reserved for players who score much more and carry a bigger offensive load. I can see him improving some offensively as a senior, but he's pretty much going to still be a spot-up shooter next season. Especially if he plays the majority of his minutes at the 3.
Two things:
1. I think kAzE might battle with you over that first sentence .
2. Luke Maye was essentially a spot-up shooter as a junior when he made the All-ACC team last year. Nobody saw him becoming an All-ACC player as a junior when he averaged 5.5 ppg and 3.9 rpg as a sophomore, and White is currently averaging 7 ppg and 6.9 rpg so far this year.
Now, Maye is certainly bigger/stronger. But White is more athletic and a better defender. So it's certainly not impossible for him to do it. And if we don't land Stewart or Hurt (meaning White would get a fair share of his minutes at PF), that would help his chances a lot.
Just to be clear, I definitely don't think it's likely. But I don't think it's a complete non-starter of a discussion either.
Maye is more the exception that proves the rule, though. And Jack isn't going to get the benefit of playing the 5, where Maye caused mismatches against traditional centers who couldn't cover him on the perimeter. I don't think Jack's going to develop a post game like Maye's, either.
While not impossible (as very few things are impossible), it's very unlikely. Even without any additions to the roster, Vernon and Wendell are probably the two leading scorers on Duke next season.
I have been paying more attention to this lately. AOC, aside from losing his initials-fame to a freshman congresswoman from NY, also seems to have lost a bit of his feel for where to be and what to do on the catch. Like Cam, he seems to be playing WAY sped up, the ball is like a hot potato in his hands - he can't get rid of it fast enough. And, with all the other guys on the court who should be commanding attention, he never seems to have room to breathe once he catches. I'd like to see him fake and drive a little, he's shown some flashes of being able to athletically finish. Granted, he's not getting a lot of minutes, but he does seem a bit invisible on offense, much more so than even last year.
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
Zion was only credited with one block in his impressive stat line last night. But if you watch the highlight video on the front page, three blocks are included.
The first at 38 seconds likely and reasonably was credited to DeLaurier, but Zion seemed to have a piece of it too.
The second was at 1:46.
The third at 3:13 was the most impressive. As Zion just manages to get his fingers on the ball at a height where most would need a ladder, I am guessing the box score missed this one.
I thought that Quinn Cook broke Wojo's record in 2015? Regardless, what Tre is doing is just unheard of, especially when you consider the type of pace at which our team plays and the number of high-risk passes that he throws. Wojo didn't turn it over because he played safe and didn't force anything. Same with Scheyer, who had a really good A:T ratio in 2015. Quinn wasn't even the primary ballhandler. But Tre is launching length-of-floor bounce passes through multiple defenders and running on every possession. I saw a tweet that said he has committed one turnover for every 29 minutes of playing time, which is amazing.
It's even more incredible when you consider the effort he exerts on the defensive end as he relentless harasses opposing point guards into submission. What's crazy is that he never even looks tired. It is one thing to be a really good offensive player or a really good defensive player. Duke has had many examples of each, even freshman examples. However, Tre is excelling on both ends at an elite level. The amount of physical and mental endurance required for that is immense and he makes it look easy.
Who needs a moral victory when you can have a real one?
BTW does anybody remember that before the season started, one ACC writer actually voted Hoard for ACC rookie of the year? It showed what a farce those awards are. He'll be a good player in a couple years, and the mucus guy played pretty well too, but come on.
Yes, but Maye was also named first-team All-ACC (and comfortably so). White wouldn't need to put up numbers quite THAT good to make an All-ACC team. Last year, for example, the 3rd team included Ty Jerome (10.3 pts, 3.9 assists) and Omer Yurtseven (13.5 pts, 6.7 rebounds).
Again, I also definitely don't think White will get there. But I also don't it's completely outlandish depending upon who plays for us next year. If he averages 11 and 7 and Duke wins the ACC? Yeah, I could see him sneaking in there. And I don't know that 11 and 7 is totally unreasonable.
Anytime we go to wake and all the starters stay in the game impresses me....
let's maintain this defensive verve this weekend...
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese