Pass the ball, and is Dawkins the key?

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said that ball distribution from the backcourt is still a work in progress. The numbers echo Krzyzewski’s concerns, with Duke dishing out just 13.5 assists per game, 127th best in the country. However, the legendary coach may not have to worry for much longer.

The Blue Devils recorded 14 assists in each of their past two games, not an overly impressive number, but a somewhat significant one. In games where Duke has dished out 14 or more assists this season, the team is 8-0. After reading this statistic, two thoughts come to mind: how have the Blue Devils only finished with 14 or more assists in eight games and why hasn’t the passing game improved?

The easy answer to these questions would be to blame it on talent. Losing Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Mason Plumlee, who did about everything against Maryland last week, led the team in assists with four. Even the most average of fans know that if a 6-10 forward is pacing the team in passing, it can’t be a good sign.

Even Mason’s best Bobby Hurley impression couldn’t help Duke against St. John’s Saturday. What looked like a promising bounce-back home win slowly turned into yet another survival game. Sure there were missed shots, but consider this: the Blue Devils finished the last 15 minutes and 35 seconds of the game without recording a single assist. Not one.

Writing another column on the style of offense the team should use would be redundant at this point, but I think what has become increasingly clear is that Andre Dawkins is the difference maker on this Duke team. In that same span of time, Dawkins notched zero field goals and scored only on two free throws. On the flip side, during the 22-9 run to end the first half, the guard went 3-for-3 from behind the arc.

It’s no secret Dawkins can be streaky, but on a team where a go-to scorer hasn’t been established (yet), why not keep feeding him the ball? The Virginia native accounts for nearly 30 percent of made 3-point field goals and shoots 41 percent from behind the arc. That shooting percentage is only third best on the team and his 120 attempts are 29 more than any other player on the team, but is there another shooter you’d rather draw up a play for late than Dawkins?

In last minute scenarios, Duke has gone to nearly every contributing player. It was Ryan Kelly against Michigan, Tyler Thornton against Kansas, Dawkins in both Madison Square Garden contests, Mason against Virginia, and Rivers against Florida State. In other words, no one has established himself as this team's closer. Dawkins can hit the big shots, something that has been evident since his game clinching three-pointer against Belmont in the first game of the season.

It is also worth noting with Dawkins, and frankly most of this Blue Devil squad, defense has been more of a problem. Even with Duke shooting 48.9 percent from the field (13^th in the nation), opponents are able to stay in games by shooting 43.9 percent (215^th in the nation). If the season were to end today, that would be the worst shooting percentage allowed since 1995. Stat Chat will have more on the defensive struggles of the team next week.