Duke basketball has played four of its initially projected seven games to this point. There were originally three games postponed due to the Blue Devils’ opponents having a positive COVID-19 test within their programs.
Those four games that have been played did not exactly go as planned, with the Blue Devils losing two contests to Michigan State and Illinois. To be fair, both teams were highly rated with one, Illinois, being considered a national title contender with a national player of the year candidate leading the charge.
In retrospect, losing those games should not send shockwaves through the program, or incite panic amongst the fanbase. Though Duke really struggled at times against Michigan State, they fought back and found themselves in a position to win the game.
Ultimately, Michigan State handled the game pressure much better than Duke did. It was not a catastrophic loss. But, as Mike Krzyzewski often reminds, a program known for winning consistently is not given much leeway when it comes to losing games.
Expectations are high, and if the Blue Devils are not winning each time they take the floor, the sirens are sounding.
That’s exactly what’s happening right now after the Blue Devils dropped its game with Illinois by 15 points.
Should there be concern? Absolutely. Is it too soon to be in panic mode? Yes, it is.
That said, there have certainly been some surprising developments early in the season. Leading up to the season, the players were saying all the right things about on-court chemistry, and guys learning to play with one another.
Not having those things at this stage, particularly this season in the unusual circumstances, isn’t exactly something that should blindside anyone. Every season won’t be a repeat of the 2015 squad or the 2018 team that had instant chemistry. Those seasons were unique in that regard.
With all of that in mind, though, there are some aspects of the first four games that have been eye-opening. Devils Illustrated basketball recruiting director Clint Jackson and I offer up our thoughts on surprising developments so far.
CLINT JACKSON
I think, more than anything, a lack of on-court chemistry and flow is what has surprised me the most. The team seems to be out of sync and it looks like five individuals just freelancing a lot. The cuts and passes seem off and there’s an overall lack of team presence to me. Often times, it feels like one of the players goes into slash mode with their head down to create a basket with little feel for what pieces are around them. And often times, I have noticed frequent ball-watching by some of the others on the court. Much like when Austin Rivers was at Duke. This could be for a lot of reasons, including not getting the surge of energy from the Cameron Crazies to just having a bunch of new freshmen with the returning four. But they just haven’t jelled yet, they aren’t trusting each other and it’s painfully obvious.
BRIAN MCLAWHORN
I agree with Clint’s take on this, but I will point to something else that has been truly surprising to me, and that’s the regression of Wendell Moore Jr. to this point. In the offseason Moore acknowledged his biggest opportunities of improvement as being confidence and focus, and most listening believed he had turned a corner and was poised to use his experiences from last season and turn it into a positive. It’s been the exact opposite. His confidence continues to slide south, as he has made just one of his last 19 shots dating back to the game against Michigan State. He’s averaging just 4.8 points on the year, and has seen his entire game suffer due to his offensive struggles. Rather than looking to his strengths and attacking the basket on offense, and playing aggressive defense, he’s turned himself into a jump shooter and a distracted defender. Do I think it will continue on this trajectory the whole season? I do not. Do I think he’s going to live up to the preseason All-ACC hype? It’s looking less and less likely.
