Throughout the Canada Tour, the Duke Basketball team pulled off highlight play after highlight play, but the Blue Devils might have an issue with consistent shooting.
The Duke Basketball Canada Tour looked more like a USA Basketball exhibition against Senegal than it did a college basketball game.
However, one thing we know for sure is Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett are absolute freaks.
They gave us a glimpse of what’s in store for Duke this year by providing plenty of highlight moments. But we knew this. We’ve been watching Zion dunk on high school kids for three years now, which is essentially what he did in Canada.
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If we move past all the dunks, spectacular transition moves, and jaw-dropping goaltends, we got to see our first look at this nationally acclaimed Duke roster, albeit without two projected starters.
One thing that became clear in Canada is that Duke shooters will get plenty of open looks this year. But who will knock them down?
By themselves, Barrett and Williamson are not great three-point shooters. During the 2017 U19 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Barrett shot 23.8% from three.
In Williamson’s senior season of high school, he shot just 20% on three-point attempts according to MaxPreps. Granted, with Williamson’s ability to finish at the rim, why would he ever shoot a three anyway?
Well, he did in Canada, and while nothing else about Williamson’s game reminds me of a big man’s game, his jump-shot does.
Alex O’Connell is the only returning Duke player to shoot above 30% from three, and if you think 30% is low, you would be correct.
Villanova as a team knocked down 40% from three en route to a national championship. But while a team’s ability to make three’s is not a definitive indication of their ability to win games, it does play a role.
Since 2010, no team that has won the NCAA Championship finished the year under 30% from three, and just two teams, 2011 UCONN and 2013 Louisville, have finished under 35%, according to sports-reference.com.
This Duke team reminds me a little of the Miami Heat when LeBron James was there.
Duke will have the most talented player(s) on the floor virtually all season long. But the secret of basketball, according to Isaiah Thomas through The Bill Simmons Podcast, is the complementary nature of a team – 5 players working together – that leads to success.
Duke has four players that can get to the rim at any time, but as we know, three is more than two, and Duke will need to make threes to win.
The biggest shot in Miami Heat History? Not a LeBron James dunk, a Dwyane Wade step-back, but Ray Allen’s Game 6 three-pointer to force overtime. Duke will need its own Ray Allen(s) if they want to make a run this year, and they have plenty of candidates.
Cam Reddish and Alex O’Connell are two likely candidates for this role, although Reddish may be somewhat overqualified for it considering he will be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Duke will win plenty of games anyway, but in order for Duke to make a long run, Reddish and O’Connell will have to make shots. Really, it shouldn’t be too hard for them considering most of the looks they will get will be wide open with the defense focused on protecting the paint.