Playing with only an eight-man rotation again due to Nolan Smith’s suspension and Mason Plumlee’s injury, Duke struggled to score consistently in its first round matchup in the NIT Season Tip-Off with Coastal Carolina.
The way that the Duke offense came out of the gates Monday night indicated a second group of scorers will have to step up to relieve some of the pressure put on the duo of Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils found themselves down 6-0 just a couple of minutes into the game after turning the ball over on their first four possessions.
In the first half, Duke shot just 41.4 percent from the field and would not have jumped out to a 33-19 lead if not for Singler taking control of the game offensively. The junior showcased his ability to score from the 3-point line, in the midrange and with his back to the basket. Even though Coastal Carolina employed a unique triangle-and-two defense with the goal of limiting Singler and Scheyer’s contributions and forcing the rest of the Duke team to beat them, the Blue Devils’ leading duo still managed to lead their team to a resounding 74-49 win.
“Jon was our leader out there tonight,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “It was really Jon that kept us in the game managing it, and Singler stepped up, too.”
Scheyer was not very aggressive in the first half as he was working against a substantial amount of on-ball pressure. He seemed content to play the role of distributor and was successful in this capacity, finishing the game with five assists to no turnovers. This stat line marked the second consecutive game that Scheyer has avoided a turnover. He did, however, get himself more involved in the offense in the second half and finished with 10 points for the night.
With the return of Smith in tomorrow night’s regional final matchup against Charlotte, the balance of the ballhandling duties may shift. But regardless of whether Smith is playing at the point or in a combo guard role, his presence on the court alone will create opportunities for the rest of the team.
“They were focusing a lot on Kyle and myself,” Scheyer said. “We just needed to take good shots. But Nolan’s return will take a lot of pressure off of both of us.”
Another aspect of the game to which Smith will undoubtedly provide a boost will be the fast break offense. Easy baskets in transition have been few and far between through the season’s first two contests. With Smith’s playmaking ability and quickness on the court, the game should open up and Duke’s big men should see more chances to score in the full-court game.
Still, even with Smith on the court, other Blue Devils are going to have to step up with consistent double-digit scoring efforts for Duke to make the deep run that it hopes to this year.
On this specific night, freshman Andre Dawkins and sophomore Miles Plumlee both scored in double figures, dropping in 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Despite the fact that Dawkins was playing in just his second collegiate game, he showcased a tremendous confidence in his jump shot. Even though he was streaky in the first half, the youngster didn’t shy away in the second half as he nailed two 3-pointers that helped Duke pull away from the Chanticleers.
“Andre, of all our guys, complemented [Singler and Scheyer] the best. He had a presence,” Krzyzewski said. “He was 3-of-11 on 3-pointers, but I thought they were all good shots. I liked what he did.”
If Dawkins can fill this complementary role and give Duke a consistent scoring punch off the bench, the Blue Devils’ opponents will be forced to gameplan to defend a more balanced attack.
Duke will not be able to simply rely on outscoring teams this year, and by holding Coastal Carolina to 28.2 percent shooting from the field, it is evident that the coaching staff is putting significant emphasis on playing stingy defense.
But if the Blue Devils are going to achieve their goals this year, they are going to need Smith’s playmaking ability and complementary players stepping up on a nightly basis.
Monday, those complementary players were Dawkins and Plumlee, but it could be a different tandem the next time out.
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