Duke basketball weekly report card: ‘Here comes Duke’

Duke basketball’s combined offensive grade for Week 4 and 5 of ACC play: B

In three of their four games over the past two weeks, the Blue Devils collectively scored in volume for the first time in a long time.

In weeks prior, it was always Matthew Hurt and a freshman like DJ Steward or Jeremy Roach who put up significant numbers, in a seemingly hopeless cycle of offensive inefficiency.

In their loss against Pitt, four different Blue Devils put up double-digit games, including Jalen Johnson, who put up a double-double. As Duke finally found a way to get more players involved, the question then became, how can they have the best of both worlds and come out with a win too?

In Week 5 of ACC play, that question was answered after multiple players put up double-figures, while also increasing their percentages. The Blue Devils averaged 46 percent from the field in Week 5, whereas over their two losses in Week 5, they averaged 43 percent.

The problem lied in the simple fact that they just couldn’t knock down shots in an efficient manner. The adversity Duke faced in tough matchups against Pitt and Louisville served as a stepping stone into Week 5, making this Duke basketball team look recognizable again.

Though it doesn’t seem like a big jump in numbers, every inch of improvement counts in the game of basketball. The Blue Devils were able to make it happen, and come out with prominent and important wins.