As the nets came down in Greensboro and the Blue Devils wrapped up a record 18th ACC Tournament championship, the spotlight was never very far from Duke’s dynamic guard duo of Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, both of whom have played critical roles in getting their team to this point. Along with Kyle Singler—a combo player with size and range—they have formed the highest-scoring trio in the league, and the main reason for Duke’s 29-5 record as well as a No. 1 seed for March Madness.
With combined averages of 35.9 points, 7.9 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game, it isn’t hard to see the value Scheyer and Smith have for a Duke team that looks to make a deep Tournament run.
Scheyer is playing the best basketball of his career, turning in an impressive season in which he was named first team all-ACC and was among the conference leaders in points, assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. He has proven an exceptional floor general capable of making an impact on a game even on nights when his own shots aren’t falling. This was the case in the ACC title game Sunday, as Scheyer missed his first six 3-point attempts, only to hit the biggest shot of the Tournament, a three with 18 seconds left that sealed the win for the Blue Devils and capped a tremendous conference showing from the point guard in his final collegiate campaign.
“Even though I wasn’t hitting, I still wanted the opportunity in the end to shoot the ball,” Scheyer said after the game. “I got a good look and had confidence in it.”
Smith has also made his mark on the team’s success, averaging 17.3 points per game only a year after posting less than nine points per game, a scoring jump that has made him one of the more dangerous guards in the league. Smith is capable of driving to the hoop or knocking down the trey, and he showcased his ability to take over a game against the Yellow Jackets while Scheyer struggled. In that game, he scored 11 of Duke’s first 15 points, giving the Blue Devils a lead that they would never relinquish. Smith would end up with 16 points, a near-average tally for him during a consistent season: The junior has scored less than 10 points only twice while scoring 20 or more 14 times.
“I’ve been growing up a lot all year, gaining confidence,” Smith said. “I’ve really become confident in myself for the future.”
It is clear that one of the keys to success for the Blue Devils as they look forward to the Big Dance is the performance of the starting guards, but how well the team performs could very well depend on the degree to which fatigue factors in with Scheyer and Smith. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski and both players have downplayed any fatigue, but the fact remains that Smith has averaged 35.1 minutes per game, while Scheyer has averaged 36.6, potentially scary stats for a team that needs to stay fresh and energized to have any chance of winning the national championship.
Luckily for Duke, a potential solution to the fatigue situation spends the majority of every game sitting on the bench. Freshman Andre Dawkins skipped his last year of high school to come to Duke early, and he made an almost immediate impact, providing valuable minutes early in the season and giving the team a multi-tooled weapon capable of knocking down the open three or slicing his way to the basket. But midway through the season, Dawkins had to deal with the death of his sister, a devastating loss for anyone, but especially for a young player. His performance, and subsequently his minutes, suffered.
As his shots stopped falling and he spent more time on the bench, Scheyer and Smith were forced to shoulder more of the burden in the backcourt. But Sunday yielded a glimpse of a player who may be ready to break out. After missing his first 3-point attempt, Dawkins hit a three, knocked down a long jumper and then drove to the basket for a thunderous one-handed dunk. At this point in the season, the importance of such a performance cannot be overstated.
“Andre gave us a huge lift because Nolan got a second foul early [against Georgia Tech],” Krzyzewski said. “Once he was in there, I kept Nolan out the whole time. Usually I would bring Nolan, Jon and Kyle back and trust them that they wouldn’t commit a third foul, but Andre was doing a good job and contributed greatly.”
Nolan Smith had high praise for his the effort of his young teammate as well.
“Andre has been progressing all year, getting better and better,” Smith said. “He’s playing great defense now, and when he gets an open look, he’s going to shoot the ball.”
As much as the increased frontcourt depth and the performance of Kyle Singler have helped Duke get to this point, the chances of a national title run will heavily depend on the three players occupying the backcourt. If Andre Dawkins can take his newfound confidence into the Tournament and Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith maintain their high level of play, Duke students have reason to hope for the raising of a fourth banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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