Duke basketball’s top 10 shooters of the past decade

Top 10 Duke basketball shooters of the past decade: No. 2 Kyle Singler

Kyle Singler had an incredible four-year career as a Blue Devil. Had Singler come along a few years later, he may have only been around for one or two seasons. He was right before the one-and-done era got into full swing. It is now rare for a guy to be a contributor, producer, and key part of the team for all four years.

That is exactly what Singler was. The most amazing stat about Singler was that out of the 149 career games he played in, he started 148 of them. Singler was one of the most versatile and consistent Duke basketball players of all time. He averaged double-digit points and shot over 41 percent all four years. Singler’s consistency and efficiency were what allowed him to be a key part of every Duke basketball team from 2007 to 2011.

I mentioned that Singler was versatile, and that may be the understatement of the year. Singler would fit perfectly with where basketball is now, positionless. He could play the three or the four, just depending on how the game was going and where he was most needed.

Singler was just a nearly impossible guy to match up with. He could take bigger defenders out on the perimeter and use his shooting ability and wide array of moves to break the defender down. He also had the height, physicality, and touch to take smaller defenders into the post.

As a shooter, Singler could pretty much do it all. Duke often ran him off the curl or had him pick and pop. He was also an elite standstill shooter and had enough game to create his own shot when needed. Singler’s mid-range shot was just as good as his 3-point shot. His 3-point shot was just as good as his foul shooting. And his foul shooting was just as good as his finishing around the basket. When it came to scoring and offense in general, Singler had no deficiencies in his game.

Singler’s best shooting year came during Duke’s 2009-10 championship season. He knocked down 85 threes while shooting just below 40 percent from beyond the arc. Singler had some very memorable moments that year. He shot 8-for-10 from three in a 30-point effort to beat Georgia Tech. He also dropped five 3-pointers to beat Miami in the ACC Tournament semifinal.

Kyle Singler will probably be most remembered for his performance in the national championship game against Butler. He was Duke’s leading scorer in that game and came up with timely buckets. His legacy at Duke will not be soon forgotten. Especially as a shooter, Singler is currently in the top 20 for ACC all-time leaders in made 3-pointers with 267.