Duke basketball freshmen overtake veterans in latest season development

Duke basketball players who hurt their stocks against Illinois

Wendell Moore

At this point, you are just starting to feel bad for Wendell Moore.

The sophomore forward is clearly in one of the biggest slumps of his basketball career, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

For lack of a better term, he was benched on Tuesday night against Illinois as he came off the bench and only saw the court for seven minutes, going scoreless and gathering one rebound.

Moore missed all three shots he attempted in the defeat.

In his last three games, the Charlotte, North Carolina native has played 57 minutes, scoring six points on 1-of-19 shooting.

Wendell Moore needs to break out of his rut and start playing like the player Duke envisioned at the beginning of the season if the team wants to get its season trending in a positive direction.

Jalen Johnson

Foul trouble forced Jalen Johnson to the bench in Duke’s loss to Michigan State, and victories over Bellarmine and Tuesday provided Jalen Johnson with an opportunity to show the nation what he can truly do.

The freshman forward did not answer the call and was overmatched by the veteran, physical forwards Illinois threw at him.

In 23 minutes of action, Johnson was only able to muster seven points, seven rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks on 3-of-10 shooting, 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and missing both of his attempts from the free throw line.

Jalen Johnson needs to be the best player for Duke on a nightly basis, and since the season-opening victory over Coppin State, that has not been the case. The results have shown for the Blue Devils.

Mark Williams

A seldom-played five-star recruit, Mark Williams finally saw extended playing time against Bellarmine and was entering the showdown against Illinois to introduce himself to the college basketball world.

Williams was in the starting lineup for the second straight game and would battle the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Kofi Cockburn.

Cockburn is a mass of a man and a beast in the paint, standing at 7-foot, 285 pounds.

Mark Williams, listed at 7-foot, 243 pounds, was not able to match the physicality of the sophomore, and Krzyzewski limited his center to just seven minutes on the floor with two points and one rebound.

Cockburn missed multiple chances at the rim, with and without Williams guarding him, to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks on 4-of-9 shooting.

Granted, Mark Williams cannot be blamed for surrendering nearly 40 pounds to Cockburn, but Duke needs a paint force, offensively and defensively, to emerge ahead of ACC play.