No. 2 Duke’s iron starting five is special. But the bench is becoming a force too
Since the basketball season began, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s starting five has not changed.
Ten games in, one starting lineup for the Blue Devils.
That group has served No. 2 Duke (9-1) well as the Blue Devils lone blemish was a 71-66 loss at Ohio State on Nov. 30.
That night, Duke faltered in the second half when its shooting fell apart as it’s normally potent offense lacked punch.
Thursday night’s 92-67 win over Appalachian State displayed an improved version of the Blue Devils, one that gets solid play from its bench to help make that core starting five more productive.
Yes, starters Wendell Moore (21 points) and Paolo Banchero (16) led Duke’s scoring attack as four of Duke’s starters reached double figures. But AJ Griffin’s 11 points along with eight from Joey Baker and six more points from Theo John showed those first three players off the bench can add important productivity.
“If they are playing like that, there ain’t no telling how good we can get,” said Duke sophomore guard Jeremy Roach, who scored 11 points himself with six assists. “It’s actually scary.”
Duke’s consistent starting five has been the 6-5 Moore, with 6-5 freshman guard Trevor Keels, the 6-3 Roach plus the 6-10 Banchero and 7-1 center Mark Williams.
The 6-9, 242-pound John’s role has been to tag-team with Williams inside to keep both centers fresh. That pattern was knocked off kilter this week when John experienced back tightness and had to miss Tuesday’s 103-62 win over South Carolina State.
But he was back on Thursday night, playing 13 turnover-free minutes to tally six points, three rebounds and an assist.
Baker and Griffin, though, were the first two players off Duke’s bench. The Mountaineers, an NCAA tournament team last March as the Sun Belt Conference champions, gave Duke a battle for the entire first half and the first few minutes after halftime.
Baker and Griffin, along with John, gave Duke important minutes in the first half, in particular. Over the game’s first 15 minutes, neither team led by more than four points while the lead kept changing hands.
But Griffin, a 6-7 freshman, scored eight of his 11 points in the first half. John scored all six of his during a two-minute stretch when he was the only Blue Devil to score.
Baker had five of his eight points in the first half as Duke used a late 16-4 run to take a 50-37 halftime lead.
“Joey and AJ can help us because they are really good 3-point shooters,” Krzyzewski said.
Duke finished the game with 28 bench points, but 19 of them came in the first half when the Blue Devils were in a fight.
Duke finally gained permanent separation from App State with a 14-2 second-half run that pushed its lead to 69-52 on a Moore jumper with 11:38 to play.
But three non-starters played a big role in keeping Duke from facing a deficit in the first half and allowed the Blue Devils to pull away in the second half.
“That was a really good game for us,” Krzyzewski said. “They played really well. They played hard and are a veteran team, an NCAA team from last year with all those guys.”
When Duke last won the NCAA championship, that team’s motto was like the old 1970s TV drama: Eight is Enough.
That season, the Blue Devils lost Semi Ojeleye to a mid-season transfer before Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team in January. That left three reserves the coaching staff used the rest of the season, which ended with a 35-4 record and nets being cut down in Indianapolis.
Though Duke has two other reserves in 6-8 forward Bates Jones and 6-2 freshman guard Jaylen Blakes, the coaching staff appears to be homing in on its starting five plus Baker, John and Griffin to handle the bulk of the minutes.
Baker and John are veteran players, though John’s previous college experience came at Marquette before he transferred to Duke this season. Griffin is a freshman but he’s steadily improving after missing October practice time with a sprained knee.
They are giving Duke a bench capable of delivering championships.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "No. 2 Duke’s iron starting five is special. But the bench is becoming a force too."