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Duke Basketball: Steals will be 2018-19 team’s key performance indicator

By Matt Giles

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Steals, steals, and more steals would act as the surest sparks for wins, wins, and more wins by the 2018-19 Duke basketball players.

Only twice during the 38 seasons under Mike Krzyzewski has a Duke basketball team averaged more than 10 steals per game for a season. Understandably, the rosters from the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons included three masters of the art of the steal: Jason Williams (2.2 steals per game for his career), Chris Duhon (2.1), and Mike Dunleavy (1.6).

The team with the best average — 10.5 per game in 2000-01 — also included a once-in-a-lifetime defensive wizard named Shane Battier (1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game for his career).

Do you think the stealing prowess of those four memorable Blue Devils — Nate James also chipped in 1.6 steals per game that season — had anything to do with that team earning its crown as King of the Big Dance?

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You better believe it did.

Do you think that the 2018-19 Duke squad should view tape from that season to fully appreciate what it means to play with intensity and intelligence on defense?

You better believe it should.

If these freshmen-laden Blue Devils have any intention of cutting down the nets in Minneapolis on April 8, it wouldn’t hurt if they become the third team in the Coach K era to surpass the 10-steals-per-game mark.

But do you think this team is athletic enough to pull off that statistical feat?

You better believe it is.

So what will it take to make it happen?

You better believe that slapping the floor is part of it.

What else?

Well, it will take Tre Jones, R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Zion Williamson buying into the plan.

It will take anticipating each pass by the offense, thereby forcing the opposing players to start questioning their every move.

It will take constant lunges into the passing lanes while the guys not doing the lunging are sprinting to the other end and being ready to turn outlet passes into easy dunks.

You think Williamson can handle that task?

Believe it.

Even if these freshmen are selfish — they’re not — it would still behoove them to comprehend the positive impact that playing team defense at a historic level could have on their own futures.

The formula is simple:

Steals equal fastbreaks. Fastbreaks equal easy buckets. Easy buckets equal victories. Victories equal championships. Championships equal fame. Fame equals higher draft statuses. Higher draft statuses equal bigger contracts. Bigger contracts equal happy wives. Happy wives equal happy lives.

So it all comes down to whether these freshmen want to be happy.

Whether it’s playing man-to-man or zone — the shocking choice for the 2017-18 squad that never embraced defense and suffered the consequences by failing to reach its potential — the keywords for success are “effort” and “belief.”

Believe this fact:

The 2000-01 Blue Devils not only led the nation in total steals (411), but they also outperformed all others in terms of total points, assists, three-pointers, and championships (ACC and national).

Just to recap the logic and make sure you’ve been paying attention…

Why did the points, assists, three-pointers, and championships come so easily that season?

Steals, steals, and more steals.

It’s time for a group of one-and-done players to finally buy into playing defense.

After all, if Williamson wants to feed his own addiction to dunking, there’s no simpler — or prettier — way than to intercept a pass, then pass it to Jones, who will then throw an alley-oop back to a high-flying Williamson.

The highlight dunks can happen over and over and over again as opponents keep throwing in the towel. They can be this team’s m.o.

Next. Predicting which 2019 recruits will commit to Duke. dark

But the steal is the required catalyst.

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