Andre Dawkins
Statline: Saturday vs. Florida State: 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting (all from 3-point range), one steal in 11 minutes
Monday vs. Pittsburgh: 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, two rebounds in 15 minutes
The good: Dawkins continues to provide instant offense for the Blue Devils at key junctures. At the start of the game against Florida State, he filled in for Rodney Hood and hit two quick threes to jumpstart the offense en route to an easy victory. In the second half against Pittsburgh, Dawkins went on a scoring binge and helped Duke extend its lead to earn perhaps its most impressive win of the season. His ability pile up points in bunches with limited minutes is a tremendous asset for the Blue Devils coming off the bench. When Dawkins is hot, there’s really not much opposing defenses can do to slow him down, as two ACC opponents found out this week.
The bad: Dawkins remains a bit of a one-trick pony in the sense that he doesn’t contribute a whole lot aside from his shooting prowess. He has shown an improved ability to take defenders off the dribble and create opportunities there, but his rebounding and defense still leave much to be desired.
The bottom line: Dawkins seems to have embraced his role as a sharpshooter coming off the bench. He’s not afraid to let it fly from anywhere on the court—which is great when his shots are falling, but also leaves the team in a bind if he’s having an off day. Dawkins may not have a wide array of skills like Jabari Parker does, but he is perfectly suited to be an offensive sparkplug for the Blue Devils.
Honorable Mention: Hard to leave Parker out of this completely after he posted two impressive double-doubles, averaging 17.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in the two victories. The large rebounding totals should have Duke fans especially excited, as a lack of height has been an issue for the team all season. With more top-notch conference opponents coming up on the schedule, the Blue Devils will need Parker to continue to be a force scoring the basketball, but also to make an impact in other areas such as rebounding and defense.
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