Duke basketball: Grading each Blue Devil through three games

Grading Duke basketball freshman DJ Steward through three games

Don’t forget that DJ Steward kickstarted his Duke basketball career with a bang against Coppin State. The show was nothing short of picturesque on his part. Across 33 minutes of action, the combo guard poured in 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out two assists, snagged one steal, and managed one block while committing only one turnover and one foul.

In fact, in the opener, Steward was borderline sizzling, shooting 10-for-18 from the field, including a 4-for-9 mark from beyond the arc. At that point, Ball Durham tagged him with the highest grade of any Blue Devil, and almost an A+, with a 96.

Ever since that dazzling debut, however, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound former five-star out of Chicago has been almost ice cold from every spot on the floor, going a combined 2-for-14 from the field against Michigan State and Bellarmine, including 0-for-6 from deep. And without the buckets to cover up his blemishes, he’s garnered criticism for being an undersized, oft-surrendering defender.

Still, though, his penchant for manufacturing points isn’t lost, as he emphatically noted late on Friday night via his remarkable posterizing slam following his slick interception on the other end:

Now, is Steward bound to have more shaky performances this season? Absolutely. Is Steward bound to be a streaky performer for the Blue Devils? It would seem so. But is he liable to almost single-handedly win a tight game down the stretch — maybe even à la Tre Jones in Chapel Hill — and is he liable to go for 30 or more on any given night? You better believe it…

The grade for DJ Steward through three games: 88 (B+)