By: Ben McCormick
November 14, 2022
Jon Scheyer has this year's young Blue Devils off to a promising 2-0 start as they head into the first "Marquee Matchup" of the season Tuesday night against sixth-ranked Kansas, the defending national champions.
Injury Updates
Dereck Lively II is back, but will likely still be under minute restrictions against Kansas.
Meanwhile Dariq Whitehead is making progress, but a return on Tuesday does not appear to be in the cards. Although I would not rule out a return in limited minutes in the following home games against Delaware and Bellarmine.
What to expect from Kansas
The Jayhawks are fresh off a national championship, but they look much different than last year's team that cut the nets. Only one player who averaged better than 6 PPG is back for Kansas: junior Jalen Wilson. The 6'8 versatile veteran is putting up 20 PPG to start the season for the 2-0 Jayhawks. Much like Duke, a batch of new faces are helping one major contributor from a final four team. Freshman Gradey Dick is putting up 17.5 PPG to start his career. He and Wilson make up the bulk of the offensive attack for Kansas.
The Jayhwaks will be without head coach Bill Self after the school placed a self-imposed (pun intended) four game suspension on two-time national champion head coach. This could prove vital for Duke, but they must remain on their toes. This is Duke's chance to pick up it's first big marquee matchup of the season.
Duke's start to the season
(Information below is from article Takeaways from the first week of the Scheyer Era)
Right away, it is easy to see that Scheyer is a great basketball mind when it comes to the X's and O's of the game. His team is well practiced. No one player has dominated storylines like in seasons past, but this may be one of the deepest teams Duke has ever seen. Although it is early, when I watch these Blue Devils, there is a certain level of ease because they work so well as a unit. Each player plays their role extremely well, and they all tend to make the right reads.
For example, Mark Mitchell is fantastic scorer (15.5 PPG) and can take his man off the dribble easily on many possessions, and he knows that. So, he often will pass up an open jumper and drive to find a better look close to the rim.
This team has proved deadly in transition. Against USC Upstate, Duke forced 23 turnovers and capitalized on the break with great efficiency. That success in the transition speaks to the team's defensive prowess. Each and every player has bought in defensively. In fact, in Duke's first two games, their opponents scored a combined 82 points (41 PPG)—good for the lowest total allowed through two games since 1946.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise for Duke has been sophomore guard Jaylen Blakes. He saw time in just 21 of Duke's 39 games last season, playing only 4.5 minutes per game. So far Blakes is playing over 20 MPG and averaging 7 PPG. The athletic guard came up with a high flying block against USC Upstate that led to a breakaway jam from Dereck Lively II. But it isn't just scrappy defense that has stood out from Blakes, he has been aggressive on the offensive end as well. He is driving with confidence and finishing through contact. Blakes is even shooting 75% from three on his first four attempts, a rate that surely won't hold up, but if he can even continue to shoot it half as well as he has to start the season, he is in for a big time sophomore campaign.
The graduate transfers are proving to be valuable additions, even more so than anticipated. Ryan Young is a force on the low block. The transfer from Northwestern has an array of post moves than many Duke fans were likening to Jahlil Okafor over the course of the week. Affectionately nick-named "Rec League Ryan" by Duke Twitter, Young is a promising combination of skill and grit. Young is averaging 11.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG through two games for Duke.
He hasn't been the only impactful transfer. Jacob Grandison hasn't shot the three-ball at the same clip he is used to, but he has been great as a floor spacer and a distributer. His ball handling and ability to make great passes through the lane off the dribble has really stood out to me.
Jeremy Roach is the leader of this team in pretty much every way imaginable. He is the most veteran presence on the roster, the team captain, and one of the most capable scorers and passers on the team. Roach's 13 PPG and 6 APG have been vital for Duke's early success and will be even more crucial for their matchup with Kansas.
Kyle Filipowski was the first freshman to record a double-double in each of his first two games at Duke since Marvin Bagley III did so in 2017. Filipowski has been a force on the boards. Even against a taller Jacksonville team, he still managed to grab double-digit boards. Thus far he is averaging 12.5 PPG and 11 RPG. What's most intriguing abiut Filipowski is he has looked good defensively, especially as a shot blocker. That will truly be put to the test against the Jaywhawks who will provide a much larger defensive challenge for the freshman seven footer.
Leading the Blue Devils in scoring is Mitchell, who dawns Art Heyman's retired #25 jersey. Mitchell has scored the ball in any way imaginable: above-the-rim, driving, and-ones, threes, mid-range jumpers. He is an aggressive attacker on offense, and has been Duke's most consistent source of offense so far.
It's early. I know. But Tyrese Proctor is not quite what we've been expecting—yet. Proctor's play as a defender, distributor, and play maker has been solid. And when he decides to shoot, he has shot confidently, and Duke fans can be pretty confident in those shots. The problem is that he has not been very aggressive in pursuing looks. The young man from Australia is averaging just 2.5 PPG so far as Duke's starting shooting guard. But it is not because his play has been sub-optimal. No, it is because it he has been passive as a scorer. As the season pushes on, that will hopefully cease to be an issue. A game against Kansas in Indianapolis could surely be a confidence altering game if you put up big numbers....just ask Grayson Allen.
Dereck Lively II made his debut versus USC Upstate, but was only able to play 14 minutes. Still, the 7'1' center recorded a pair of dunks and a pair of blocks. Once his calf injury is fully healed and he is not under minute restrictions, the thought of a frontcourt rotation with he, Filipowski, Mitchell, and Young is scary.
This team was crates by Jon Scheyer for Jon Scheyer. It's his team, and I'm not sure any coach other than him could get the best out of this squad. So far, it is all smiles in the Scheyer era, but a big test awaits the Blue Devils in Indianapolis: the Kansas Jayhawks.
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