The probable Duke basketball starting five against Michigan State
By Matt Giles
A probable Duke basketball starter versus Michigan State: DJ Steward
Against Coppin State, DJ Steward was among the first three Blue Devils off the bench. And after the 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard came in the game alongside fellow Duke freshmen Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams at the under-16 timeout in the first half, he was on the floor for all but three minutes of action the rest of the way.
Steward finished with 33 minutes, second only to the 35 of fellow rookie sensation Jalen Johnson. The former five-star prep out of Chicago led all players on both sides with 24 points. He did so via a picturesque 10-for-18 clip from the field, including a 4-for-9 showing from downtown.
Moreover, Steward added nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block to his box score. And he did all that while committing only one turnover as the rest of his teammates gifted the ball to the Eagles a combined 21 times.
Granted, Steward’s insertion into the starting lineup would leave Duke at a slight disadvantage in terms of height on the perimeter. Nevertheless, Mike Krzyzewski would have a tough time coming up with a sensible reason to keep arguably his most prolific player on the bench for the tip of any games to come this season…