Duke basketball: Biggest question mark around Blue Devils offense

Halfcourt production is key to Duke basketball being a top title contender.

Traditionally, Duke basketball puts out one of the best offensive teams. Last season, the Blue Devils averaged 82.5 points, second-best in the nation.

Duke should once again be a prolific offensive team and end up as one of the country’s highest-scoring teams. However, there is still one question that the Blue Devils will have to answer in order for that to happen.

Given the personnel and some of the footage from practices and intrasquad scrimmages, Duke should be a very fast team. The Blue Devils have taken advantage of their speed and athleticism over the last couple of years to be a great transition offensive team. The 2020-21 Blue Devils should be no different.

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The biggest question around Duke’s offense is how good they will be in the halfcourt. Running an effective and efficient halfcourt offense is one of the toughest things to do in college basketball. Opposing defenses know the plays that you want to run, and they put together intricate gameplans to stop it.

A great halfcourt offense requires a few key elements. The first is proper spacing. Spacing not only comes from having high-IQ players but also unselfish passers and good outside shooters.

The second key element is the team’s movement in the halfcourt. There has to be both player and ball movement. Players need to make quick decisions with the ball and be in constant motion on offense.

The final key element of a great halfcourt offense is having a guy who can just go get a bucket. When the defense starts to get ramped up as the shot clock starts to wind down, you need a player who can simply go make something happen. Set plays are great, but without players who can create offense by themselves, scoring will be a struggle.

Who will be that go-to scorer for Duke basketball this season?

The go-to Duke basketball scorer could be Matthew Hurt, who is probably the Blue Devils’ most skilled offensive player. He has the ability to score both in the low post and out on the perimeter. We know Hurt can shoot, but if he can develop as a passer, he could be the key that unlocks the halfcourt offense.

Hurt was a guy Duke would often feature in the halfcourt offense a season ago. The Blue Devils used him in a lot of pick-and-pop situations. He has the ability to make contested shots because of both his height and high release point on his shot. But we have yet to see Hurt emerge as a dependable one-on-one scorer.

That role could be filled by one of the freshman guards, either Jeremy Roach or DJ Steward. Roach and Steward can both be valuable playmakers. Both Steward and Roach can break down a defender and make a play for either themselves or for others. The only concern is that they are both a little undersized. They could have some difficulty against bigger and longer defenders.

One reason Duke was so productive on offense last season was Vernon Carery Jr., who provided easy baskets and posed a mismatch for most teams. The Blue Devils could simply feed him the ball on the low block and let him go to work.

Duke basketball does not seem to have that same luxury this season, so there should be more motion in the halfcourt. Expect to see a lot of ball screens, off-ball movement, and drive-and-kicks.

While Duke may want it this way, not every game is going to be a track meet. The Blue Devils should have an advantage in uptempo games. They may run into trouble in slow, low-possession games. With such a young team and no obvious No. 1 option, Duke may have had a hard time finding flow in the halfcourt.

If the Blue Devils can find their identity as a halfcourt offensive team, they should easily be one of the top-scoring teams in the country. Every championship-level college basketball team must be able to run a good offense in the halfcourt.

If the Blue Devils just can answer that question, they’ll give themselves a chance to win Duke basketball’s sixth national title.

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