As Duke heads to Clemson, questions about the Blue Devils’ scoring have been answered
Back on Nov. 5 in New York City, 90 minutes or so before Duke opened its season with Kansas at Madison Square Garden, ESPN’s College GameDay hosts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and LaPhonso Ellis answered questions from reporters about the new season.
The chatter about the Blue Devils centered around concerns over who would be the team’s top scorers.
Two months later, with the No. 3 Blue Devils among the nation’s most efficient and potent offenses and GameDay set to open its basketball season with a show at Cameron Indoor Stadium this Saturday, we have some answers.
Freshman center Vernon Carey’s 17.4 points lead the Blue Devils (15-1, 5-0 ACC), who are No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense at 83.8 points per game.
Sophomore point guard Tre Jones entered the season intending to score more while continuing to be a top distributor. After averaging 9.4 points as a freshman, Jones has produced 14.9 points per game this season and his seven assists per game is tied for 10th nationally.
Two other freshmen forwards, Cassius Stanley (11.5 points) and Matthew Hurt (11.1), give Duke four players averaging in double figures.
Entering an ACC game at Clemson on Tuesday night (7 p.m., ESPN), the Blue Devils have proven they can put the ball in the basket as well as anyone in the country.
Exactly how they are getting in position to score provides a look into what this Duke team is accomplishing as well.
Tre Jones an elite passer
Jones entered the season considered one of the nation’s elite passers and executes difficult passes successfully on a nightly basis. Three times this season he’s reached double-figures in assists in a single game.
“Tre can make what would be a chancy pass at times for another player,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said on a teleconference Monday in response to a question from the N&O.
Since the team’s holiday break from games ended Dec. 28, Duke’s solid passing is also coming from players not named Jones.
Duke’s season average of recording assists on 54.2 percent of its made baskets is No. 109 nationally, according to KenPom.com. That’s just above the national average of 51.7.
But in four ACC games over the last two weeks, the Blue Devils have recorded assists at a 55.8 percent clip. That’s an improvement that Krzyzewski sees continuing.
“I think good passing is contagious,” Krzyzewski said. “Our assists since Christmas have come up. We are sharing the ball very well. The guys are looking for one another. They have all year but they are seeing each other better now.”
While beating Wake Forest 90-59 on Saturday night, Duke collected 20 assists for an impressive 60.6 assist rate.
Not only did Jones pick up five assists, his starting backcourt mate that night, Jordan Goldwire, led the team with six assists. Carey had three assists out of the post, taking advantage of a defense collapsing on him to find open shooters on the perimeter.
Duke’s offensive rebounding tops
In addition to passing well, Duke continues to use its offensive rebounding prowess to get extra shots. The Blue Devils have rebounded 38.6 percent of their missed shots this season, an offensive rebounding rate that’s No. 3 in the country. The national average is just 28.3 percent.
Even when those offensive rebounds don’t lead directly to baskets, they help in other ways.
Carey draws an average of 7.7 fouls per game and reserve forward Javin DeLaurier 4.5. So oftentimes an offensive rebound leads to points coming from the free throw line.
Stanley, an effective offensive rebounder himself due to his length, draws 4.8 fouls per game.
Between passing, rebounding and shooting that’s proved better than last season, Duke is scoring plenty.
The Blue Devils’ 115.4 points per 100 possessions are No. 2 in the nation.
So far, they’ve proven plenty capable of scoring enough to win at the sport’s highest level against this season.
Duke at Clemson
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 3:22 PM with the headline "As Duke heads to Clemson, questions about the Blue Devils’ scoring have been answered."