As the beginning of basketball season is near, the Blue Zone provides a detailed preview of each player on Duke men's basketball's 2023-24 roster. We've already looked at Stanley Borden, Spencer Hubbard, Neal Begovich, Jaden Schutt, Christian Reeves, Jaylen Blakes, TJ Power, Ryan Young, Sean Stewart, Caleb Foster, Jared McCain, Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach. Next up is sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor:
Tyrese Proctor
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-5
Position: Guard
Last year’s stat line: 9.4 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.1 RPG
Game breakdown: Proctor was a bit inconsistent during his first few outings in Durham, in no small part because he was playing off the ball while then-junior Jeremy Roach took up point guard duties. But then, head coach Jon Scheyer swapped the two midway through the season and both started to play better, highlighting the Sydney native’s excellent shooting and an even better playmaking capabilities. This produced fireworks at the end of the season en route to Duke’s relatively comfortable track to the ACC tournament title and pair of regular-season triumphs against North Carolina.
Proctor’s greatest strengths lie in his ability to create his own shot and remarkably clean technique. His jumper is smooth and his release is quick, something that allows the Aussie to present a threat across the floor no matter who is guarding him or how far from the basket he is. He also proved last year that he’s not afraid to step back or shoot a fadeaway, adding even more weapons to his already loaded arsenal.
However, Proctor is not a lights-out 3-point shooter, nor is he as eager to drive inside as Roach. This is exactly why his switch from an off-ball to on-ball guard bore so much fruit in his freshman season, because he was no longer forced to be a driver or perimeter threat and was instead expected to facilitate play. With another full offseason under his belt, expect his shooting efficiency generally and from downtown to improve from their respective 32% and 38.1% marks, with an increased number of assists to a starting lineup that returns four of its top five scorers.
Role on the team: If sophomore Kyle Filipowski — a preseason first-team All-American, by the way — is the first name on Scheyer’s team sheet, Proctor is the second.
The sophomore is an intelligent and capable playmaker who can threaten from nearly anywhere, and his 6-foot-5 frame is larger than many of the other guards he will face this season. His assuredness under pressure, unrelentingly solid technique and ability to play extended minutes will make him a go-to guy for the Blue Devils once again in 2023-24, who have a laser on their back as the preseason No. 2 team.
Even with the additions of freshmen Jared McCain and Caleb Foster to the guard room and Roach’s return for a fourth go-round at Duke, Proctor is still probably the most talented, and versatile, of the lot. He will feature extensively.
NBA comparison: As mentioned, Proctor is not a point guard in the way Steph Curry is a point guard. He’s not a lethal marksman and hasn’t proven to be a high-volume scorer on a consistent basis. Instead, he’s a point guard more of the Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday ilk — a great facilitator who rarely has a bad game and bolsters the performances of those around him with creative dribbling, alert passing and the ability to make a shot where there isn’t one. Although Holiday is a better defender than Proctor — and by a pretty sizable margin — the sophomore is hardly a liability on that side of the ball, and possesses a remarkable motor that ensures he’s on the floor for make-or-break plays. Holiday’s rookie stats are pretty similar to Proctor’s, too, with eight points, 3.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, with a notable uptick in each — and his shooting efficiency — as the years went on.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.