- Games played: 20
- Games started: 6
- Minutes per game: 12.7
- Points per game: 5.1
- Rebounds per game: 2.3
- Assists per game: 0.8
- Steals per game: 0.7
- Blocks per game: 0.0
- Field goal percentage: 39.6
- 3-point percentage: 25.0
- Free throw percentage: 56.3
- Grade: C (76)
Potential has always been evident. Consistency has not.
Duke basketball junior shooting guard Alex O’Connell possesses sufficient bounce to make impact plays. And the 6-foot-6, 190-pound Roswell, Ga., native used to display a reliable outside stroke, as he entered the season with a 52-for-125 career clip (41.6 percent) from beyond the 3-point line.
However, O’Connell has found the bottom of the net on only 13 of his 52 deep-ball attempts in his third campaign. That, along with the fact that he provides little in terms of defense and makes more head-scratching plays than thumbs-up plays on the other end, has led to a significant recent drop in minutes (five or less in each of the past three games).
O’Connell’s only double-digit scoring outings this season came against the three worst opponents: Colorado State, Central Arkansas, and Brown. Needless to say, if he doesn’t soon show improvement during his already-sparse minutes in ACC play, Krzyzewski is likely to eliminate him from the rotation altogether.