Some surprises: Ranking Duke basketball’s 10 key players thru 20 games

• Games played: 20
• Games started: 0
• Minutes per game: 13.3
• Points per game: 3.7
• Rebounds per game: 3.9
• Assists per game: 0.7
• Steals per game: 0.6
• Blocks per game: 0.9
• Field goal percentage: 56.5
• 3-point percentage: 0.0
• Free throw percentage: 66.7
• Grade: C+ (79)

Duke basketball senior big man Javin DeLaurier tries hard. He always has. Oftentimes, though, he tries too hard, resulting in insanely quick foul trouble and disruption to the flow of his own team’s offense.

That said, when DeLaurier has been able to control his motor and relax, he has adequately filled a crucial role as Duke’s only backup taller than 6-foot-8. In fact, had the 6-foot-10, 235-pound co-captain out of Shipman, Va., not come up with two blocks, two rebounds, and two clutch free throws across the last two minutes of the 73-64 win at Georgia Tech on Jan. 8, the Blue Devils might now have a fourth loss.

Furthermore, DeLaurier deserves credit for cleaning up his foul habit. After averaging a horrific 10.0 fouls per 40 minutes across Duke’s first six games, he hasn’t collected more than three in any game since.

Yes, he only saw four minutes last time out — finishing with a row of zeroes, except for one foul, next to his name on the box score for Duke’s 79-67 home win over Pitt on Tuesday night. But due to the necessity of his size and leadership, he has a chance moving forward to make that stat line look like a mere anomaly.