Some surprises: Ranking Duke basketball’s 10 key players thru 20 games
By Matt Giles
Freshman. Cassius Stanley. 3. player. Scouting Report. Guard. 434. Pick Analysis
- Games played: 19
- Games started: 19
- Minutes per game: 25.5
- Points per game: 12.2
- Rebounds per game: 4.4
- Assists per game: 0.9
- Steals per game: 0.8
- Blocks per game: 0.8
- Field goal percentage: 50.3
- 3-point percentage: 36.0
- Free throw percentage: 72.1
- Grade: A (94)
From saving the day in the season-opening 68-66 win over Kansas on Nov. 5 at Madison Square Garden to his consistent production and breathtaking dunks, Duke basketball freshman shooting guard Cassius Stanley would probably be in a tie with Jordan Goldwire on a ranking of the Blue Devils’ most surprising performers this season.
ALSO READ: Better decathlete, Zion Williamson or Cassius Stanley?
Stanley came to Durham from Los Angeles with the lowest 247Sports 2019 Composite ranking (No. 37) among Duke’s scholarship rookies. At times, the 6-foot-6, 195-pound rocket has looked like the best of all four.
And though the one freshman whose name hasn’t yet appeared here ranks higher on his list, one could argue Stanley, along with the guy coming up next who came in at No. 2, should have at least received a couple of first-place votes.
Take out his stats from Duke’s 83-70 home win over Winthrop on Nov. 29, in which he exited early in the second half with a leg injury; plus, let’s be nice and take out the stats from his next three games, in which he eased back into a full-time role. What’s left are the following numbers on Stanley: 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from deep, and 73.4 percent from the charity stripe.
That’s not half bad for a former four-star prep who is now on the college game’s biggest stage as a freshman.