How to watch future Duke basketball sharpshooter DJ Steward

A potential prolific scorer for the Duke basketball program next season will tip off his final high school season tonight, and anyone can tune in.

Whitney Young High School (Ill.) combo guard and recent Duke basketball signee DJ Steward stepped up his game over the summer, boosting his ranking on the 247Sports 2020 Composite from No. 108 in June to No. 27 in August.

Plus, Steward’s rating gained the elusive fifth and final star.

And even if the 6-foot-4, 170-pound Chicago native hasn’t improved much since his explosion into the national spotlight at July’s Peach Jam, Duke basketball fans who choose to catch the first game of Steward’s senior campaign should still be in for a treat.

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At 8:30 p.m. EST on Monday night, Ballislife.com will be live-streaming from its Twitter account Whitney Young’s season opener against fellow Chicago-area heavyweight Morgan Park, a squad featuring four-star 2020 Illinois commit Adam Miller — a 6-foot-3, 170-pound shooting guard who boasts a No. 32 composite ranking and plays a bit like Steward.

In other words, the individual matchup between Steward and Miller should highlight the contest.

So what’s all the fuss about Steward’s game? Well, for starters, he has a sweet outside stroke and the ability to create his own shot with a confident, slick set of handles. Plus, he has the acceleration, hops, and muscles to drive to the basket with authority. At the same time, he often flashes the vision of a point guard.

And the cherry on top is Steward’s aggressive defense, often using his length and instincts to both pick off passes and pick the pockets of opposing guards.

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One way to put it is that Steward seems to share several similarities with Nolan Smith and Daniel Ewing, two former gritty Duke basketball two-guards who specialized as slashers and shooters from the wing but could fill in at the one-spot in a moment’s notice — and in a trustworthy, effective manner.

No matter how you put it, Steward should be well worth Duke fans’ time to watch tonight — the current No. 1 Blue Devils don’t return to action until Tuesday at 9 p.m. against Stephen F. Austin from Cameron Indoor Stadium — in order to enjoy a few goosebumps from envisioning the near future in Durham.

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Duke’s other five 2020 signees — comprising what is currently the No. 2 class in the nation, per 247Sports — are five-star small forward Jalen Johnson, five-star point guard Jeremy Roach, four-star center Mark Williams, four-star power forward Jaemyn Brakefield, and four-star power forward Henry Coleman.

ALSO READ: Stacking up the six 2020 Duke signees

Meanwhile, four-star center Hunter Dickinson is the only uncommitted 2020 recruit holding a Duke basketball offer. The 7-foot lefty is likely to announce his choice between finalists Duke, Michigan, Florida State, and Notre Dame any day now.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.