Stat Chat: The Rasheed Sulaimon Enigma

As Duke approaches the eye of the storm that is the Blue Devil's tough schedule, questions have started to develop surrounding the team. Will Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood have to carry the load every game? Is Quinn Cook one of the best point guards in the nation? What exactly is this Duke team's identity? Rather, will it focus on the defensive end or try to use an uptempo offensive scheme? However, the question one everyone's mind is this:

What the heck is up with Rasheed Sulaimon?

The sophomore came into the season with the potential to be a first round pick in the NBA draft following the season. After all, following a solid freshman campaign and with a style of play, athletic and aggressive, that seemingly fit in well with this year's squad, the topic was relevant. However, nine games into the season, Sulaimon's play on the court, or lack thereof, has been a mystery.

Let's start with a breakdown of his overall stats thus far. Sulaimon currently is averaging 7.1 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, and 0.8 steals per game. To put those numbers into perspective, nine games into to 2012-13 campaign, the Houston native averaged 11.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, and 0.8 spg. The major difference is his offensive efficiency. Sulaimon is shooting 36.2 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range, in contrast to shooting 41.9 and 40.0 percent in each of those respective categories at this point a season ago. In addition, he's also playing 6.7 minutes per game fewer than he did a year ago.

The major difference has been the amount of shots Sulaimon has taken. In nine games thus far, the sophomore has taken 47 field goals, 16 of which were 3-pointers, almost half of the total field goals taken and less than half of the total three-pointers taken last season (93 and 40). Based on minutes played per game, the sophomore is shooting 0.23 times per minute played. That's 0.12 less than his shots per minute played average from 2012-13.

I'll leave you with this statistic: Rasheed Sulaimon shot 12 or more times six times over his first nine games as a freshman. This season, zero times. Whether Sulaimon is in the proverbial "doghouse" or not is up for debate, but a player of his caliber should be doing more on the basketball court. If Duke wants to secure a fifth national championship, the team will need better play from Sulaimon.