Evaluating each Duke basketball player’s greatest strength

The greatest strength of Duke basketball freshman guard DJ Steward…

CREATING SHOTS

DJ Steward comes to Duke with the reputation of being a scoring combo guard. When evaluating high school film on the 6-foot-2 Chicago native, it is clear why he gained that reputation. He is a dynamic player who has a knack for scoring and creating his own offense.

While Steward may be a little undersized, he has tremendous speed and ballhandling ability to keep defenders off-balance and to get to his spots on the court. He will likely be the best shooter out of Duke’s incoming freshman class. Many of his highlights feature him knocking down perimeter shots, and most of the time, it is him creating the shot for himself rather than a catch and shoot.

Steward averaged over 20 points per game both on his high school team and on the EYBL circuit. Having a player who can go get a bucket in late-game or late-shot-clock situations is highly valuable, and that is a role that Steward should fulfill this season.

That brings us to the other freshman in the Duke basketball backcourt…