Duke basketball: Grading each Blue Devil through three games
By Matt Giles
Grading Duke basketball freshman Jaemyn Brakefield through three games
Judging solely from his relatively quiet preseason hype and then relatively minimal playing time against Coppin State, one might have assumed that Jaemyn Brakefield would be little more than an afterthought in the Duke basketball rotation this season.
Nope. Doesn’t look that way anymore for the former four-star recruit. To the tune of 23 points in only 31 minutes between the Michigan State and Bellarmine games, Brakefield has exceeded experts’ expectations by looking like a refined 3-point sniper and all-around force.
Although the sample size is small, the visible precision in Brakefield’s shooting stroke makes his 5-for-8 clip from deep seem anything but fluky.
Plus, consider Brakefield’s rebounding prowess as a secondary big man — maybe even as a starter in the future. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Mississippi native is averaging 12.6 boards per 40 minutes, including 8.0 per 40 of the offensive variety.
On offense, it’s obvious that Brakefield maneuvers in a strategic fashion, with or without the ball, persistently seeking out opportunities for effective passes, sly rebounds, well-timed slashes, and of course, his smooth lefthanded jumpers when left open.
Speaking of being left open, though, expect for opponents to make sure that doesn’t happen nearly as often if Brakefield continues to light it up from outside the 3-point line. And until he starts attracting more attention from opposing defenses — should happen soon — we won’t really know just how many feats are in the rookie’s repertoire.
So far, so good, and a pleasant surprise…
The grade for Jaemyn Brakefield through three games: 90 (A-)