Duke basketball Player of the Week: Week 1

Every week throughout the basketball season, The Blue Zone will name the highest-performing Blue Devil the Duke basketball Player of the Week.

Jabari Parker

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Statline—Friday vs. Davidson: 22 points, 8-of-10 shooting, 3-for-3 from 3-point range, six rebounds in 23 minutes
Tuesday vs. Kansas: 27 points, nine rebounds, two steals, 4-of-7 from 3-point range

The good: The freshman from Chicago looked immensely comfortable handling and shooting the ball. Parker's ability to create off the dribble was uncanny, but it was his rebounding numbers that may be the highlight of the week. The Blue Devils struggled on the glass in their first two games, but Parker was able to pull down his fair share, averaging 7.5 per game. He also has missed just one of his nine free-throw attempts this year, another area in which Duke is struggling to convert.

The bad: Despite his great offensive performance, Parker still struggled on the defensive end. Kansas forward Perry Ellis manhandled parker down low en route to 24 points, and Parker fouled out of Tuesday's loss with an ill-advised block attempt on Andrew Wiggins.

The bottom line: This was Parker's first week of college basketball, and he is already living up to his sky-high expectations. Expect more great things to come.

Honorable mentions: Amile Jefferson continues to show off his new and improved low post game and scored 17 points against Kansas. Rasheed Sulaimon has played some big minutes off the bench thus far, dropping 20 in Duke's season opener and scoring 13 crucial points against the Jayhawks.