Duke basketball: Grading each Blue Devil through three games

Grading Duke basketball senior Patrick Tapé through three games

It’s still a bit premature to give a fair judgment of Patrick Tapé as a Duke basketball big man. Heck, we barely even have enough evidence to form a first impression.

Tapé, a graduate transfer from Columbia who became a Blue Devil in order to test himself on the highest level in college hoops and to help provide Duke with much-needed depth in the paint, did not come off the bench at all against either Coppin State or Michigan State. And against Bellarmine, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Charlotte native played all of five minutes.

But within 40 seconds of entering the game for the first time with seven minutes to play in the first half, Tapé corralled a loose ball among traffic under the Duke basket and assertively scored through contact; he missed the and-one attempt, though. On the ensuing Bellarmine possession, the 22-year-old forward disrupted one shot attempt and impressively swiped away another.

Outside of another nice block late in the game, those initial sequences accounted for the top highlights of his night. Playing only two minutes in the first half and then not coming back in until three minutes to play in the second, Tapé finished with two points, one rebound, two blocks, two fouls, and one turnover.

He seems to have a strong, wide base and seasoned instincts. On the other hand, judging from the limited first impression, Tapé doesn’t seem to come equipped with either long arms or dangerous offensive weapons…

The grade for Patrick Tapé through three games: 79 (C+)