Emphasizing the D in Duke. Blue Devils clamping down with steals to rack up wins
A tried-and-true Duke basketball staple is becoming present on a nightly basis, making the Blue Devils not very much fun to play against.
The No. 21 Blue Devils recorded 10 steals against Wake Forest, contributing to 15 Demon Deacons turnovers as Duke posted a 79-68 win Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It’s the second game in a row the Blue Devils reached a double-digit amount of steals. Duke had 14 while beating Boston College, 83-82, on Wednesday night.
“I think the longer we play together,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Saturday, “we’re more instinctive defensively than we are offensively.”
As Duke (5-2, 3-0 ACC) has yet to prove it’s a strong shooting team this season, the Blue Devils’ play on defense is helping make up for any deficiencies on offense. Boston College coach Jim Christian explained how the Blue Devils “feast” off steals after his team committed 21 turnovers against Duke.
“They make it really difficult for you to run sets,” Christian said. “You have to play off-space, off-the-ball screen because they take you out of so many different things as such an aggressive defensive team.”
We haven’t seen this Duke team slap the floor like Blue Devils of yore but it appears to have that same attitude.
Duke averages 9.6 steals per game, and its opponents have turned the ball over 15.6 times per game.
A deeper look shows how Duke’s play compares to nationally or within the ACC.
Ken Pomeroy’s advanced stats remove tempo from the equation to show that Duke records steals on 13.4% of its opponents’ possessions. That’s No. 7 nationally. Wake Forest (14.6%) is fourth and N.C. State (13.6%) is sixth.
Duke’s opponents commit turnovers on 21.8% of their possessions. That’s No. 62 nationally. Fellow ACC teams Clemson, No. 9 at 26.4%, and N.C. State, No. 10 at 25.7%, are among the top 10 in the nation.
Duke, though, is on the rise. Wake Forest turned it over 23.4% of the time on Saturday, and Boston College committed turnovers on 28.4% of its possessions on Wednesday night.
Duke is looking like a sturdy defensive team despite not being a big team. Or maybe it’s because the Blue Devils aren’t big.
The Blue Devils use 6-9 sophomore forward Matthew Hurt as their center more times than not. But Duke’s large reserve of athletic guards and small forwards is playing a role in its strong defense so far.
Senior guard Jordan Goldwire averages 2.7 steals per game. Four other players — Wendell Moore, DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach and Hurt — all average a steal per game.
Goldwire, Hurt and freshman reserve forward Jaemyn Brakefield each recorded three steals against Wake Forest.
The play of Steward and Roach, along with Brakefield off the bench, only stand to get better, Krzyzewski said. The three freshmen are still adjusting to the college game, and their increased comfort level in the games ahead figures to bode well.
“These guys on the perimeter, they’re past the thinking stage,” Krzyzewski said. “They’re more instinctive. They’ve learned the defense well enough and that’s the bridge you have to cross when you’re learning something. You make yourself a little slower because you’re thinking about what you have to do right. When you instinctively know it, it adds to the quickness. I think that’s what’s coming around.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Emphasizing the D in Duke. Blue Devils clamping down with steals to rack up wins."