Obviously everyone is going to have their takeaways, hot takes and see things completely differently about the Duke open practice scrimmages. After watching them 3 times in their entirety, I’ll dip my toe into those waters and add my own takes. Prefacing this by saying it’s August and everything we witnessed should be taken with not only a grain of salt but an entire pillar. That means both the good and bad. With the absence of college basketball, we feast on what we have… always.
After the scrimmage, Coach Jon Scheyer mentioned that now we know what we are, and where we need to go (I’m paraphrasing). You truly can’t know the areas that need to be addressed, early bad habits and even areas that you feel are emerging without turning on the lights and putting the team out there. I applaud the coaching staff for that, as it invites all the early smoke from those in the media.
I’ll start with the not so great – which again, in August, is to be expected:
Needs Improvement
Turnovers
It’s the likely result of a new squad, still in the process of learning, but some of the passes were lazy, especially around the perimeter. Easily picked off. I think the majority of these mistakes weren’t by the point guards but the wings, 4’s and 5’s. It leads me to the area I think this team will need to improve upon the most, which is non-point guard ball-handling. It’s going to be important that Duke’s wings, in particular, become much better threats with the ball, not just to score but as secondary ball-handlers. For a team as young as this one is, taking care of the basketball will be paramount. You never know a team’s rebounding acumen before the season even with guys that are likely to be strong rebounders, so Duke has to keep the possessions positive, missing shots is fine – giving up extra possessions without even getting a shot is a death knell.
Finishing at the rim
I saw a lot of plays at the rim where the wings and bigs were knocked off their block and either didn’t get good shots up, turned the ball over or just didn’t finish strongly through the contact. This is a skill that a team as slight as Duke is on the perimeter and wing will have to get much better at. The goal is to get fouled but with differing styles of play, and referees deferring to differing styles inconsistently getting shots up on the rim is crucial if you are driving, if not then there has to be an in between game. I’m not here to say it’s going to be an issue for Duke going forward, just basing this off of 24 minutes in August, so don’t come for me.
Shot Selection
Everyone is excited to have fans in the stands and the lights on, but I think on occasion Duke settled for some shots that seemed a bit… wild or rushed, some last resort shots way too early in the shot clock. I would credit intense defense, but I think it was probably more guys just wanting to prove themselves and not initially seeing open guys to pass to. That being said, I think you have to take shots you know you can make, queue Patrick Ewing meme…
I think that with this coaching staff, especially Evan Bradds in the mix, determining the difference between a good and great shot will be something that gets a lot of attention.
Movement off the ball
I didn’t expect anything like a finished product in terms of how the guys move, this was more like a run than a game, and that’s ok. Some guys have an intrinsic ability to move without the ball, and some have a habit of ball-watching. I would think that this is also going to be a point of emphasis for the staff, the ball needs to keep moving like a hot potato. Making good and fast decisions is a process that requires more practice and much more time together on the court. I think this type of scrimmage is a good way to nurture instincts and to see who knows what and what is an emerging skill as opposed to a proficient one.
The Good and Great
I really like the fact that Cam Boozer was guarded by several different positions, from guards to bigs. He never got rattled, just went to work. Obviously with varying degrees of effectiveness, but he seems to be able to score from anywhere and his instincts are off the charts. Doesn’t seem to get sped up whatsoever – true for both Boozer brothers, actually. I noted that with how aggressive he is when he gets the ball, he’s going to shoot a lot of free throws for Duke. The one thing about his aggressiveness is that it’s not reckless aggressiveness. He assesses the situation and makes the correct decision. In addition to his work in the paint, Cam bringing the ball up is going to create a lot of havoc for opposing defenses and create opportunities for everyone else.
Pat Ngongba played, but it seemed obvious to me that he is still working his way back – that being said, he was still effective. His natural ability is just amazing to watch. Pat has incredible hands and feel. His IQ for passing is off the charts, and he makes pocket passes like a pro. For a big to be able to read defenses and cuts from teammates as well as he does as early as he is in his career could be a game changer, provided Duke can keep him healthy. Also, his ability to shoot could be a huge plus for the Blue Devils this season, he has that ability, and it could be a wrinkle for Duke to exploit this coming season.
Speaking of shooting, Darren Harris may have the quickest release in college basketball. He just needs a smidgen of time to get a really good shot off. I think this coming season, he may end up with a better shooting percentage than Evans did last season (around 40-41%). Slim is a guy that can get in these rhythms, but I think his release is a tad slower (literally just a tad) than Harris’, I saw a few shots from Slim where it took him a second to realize he was open, and he rushed into the shot just a bit. Harris I feel isn’t someone who needs that second of adjustment. Duke is blessed to have both guys on the wing with talent. It also looks like Evans has worked extensively on what happens on the court when you find yourself inside the 3-point marker, he looks to be more effective in the mid-range than he was a year ago and in the post. Remains to be seen how effective he’ll be there, but it’s clear he worked on that part of his game. As for Harris, if he learns to use his body at the rim (he has a very solid base) he can be a very well-rounded player. We know what he can do 22 feet away from the basket, I’m much more interested in how he’s developed from 2 to 4 feet away.
I really liked the little bit of Dame Sarr that we saw. Dame Sarr is a unique basketball player. There is a lot there to like. We know he can shoot the ball well, we know he has the ability to finish at the rim, and maybe most importantly we know that he can be a nightmare for opposing guards with his length. He covers ground and is so long naturally that he should be able to guard multiple positions with relative ease. I think Sarr, more than anyone else this offseason, is going to need the staffs’ attention. His adjustment from international play to what Duke is trying to do is going to be one of the most important storylines for the Blue Devils going into this season. If I was going to choose tent poles for Duke this season, Dame’s integration will be one of them. The spacing in college ball is different, it moves at a different speed and if Sarr can get there, get to where he doesn’t need to think but just do – this team is going to be something. When he figured it out, and he will – incrementally, it will be a joy to watch.
Lastly, THE most important thing that I saw is that Duke has 2 point guard options with differing skill sets. You could very much tell that Cayden Boozer is going to be good for Caleb Foster, and that Caleb Foster is going to be good for Cayden Boozer. Their work against each other, iron sharpening iron as it were, to me is going to be the difference in what either propels this team to a good post season run or just a decent season. Caleb is a natural scorer and Cayden is a guy with an eye on running the offense, if both can steal a little of the others’ game this team makes a significant jump from good to great.
