Ranking each Duke basketball player in the Blue-White games

8. Evaluating Blue-White Duke basketball contributor Jaylen Blakes

Combined stats for Jaylen Blakes:

• 24 minutes
• Four points
• 1-for-6 from the field, 0-for-3 from three, 2-for-2 from the foul line
• Three rebounds
• Four assists
• Zero steals
• Two blocks
• One turnover

Jaylen Blakes looked the most like a freshman of the three scholarship freshmen who saw action on Friday night. His shots, dribbles, and passes all looked rushed at times. All in all, he looked a long way away from being a formidable Blue Devil floor general.

But Blakes, a former four-star prep and only non-five-star in the 2021 Duke class, arrived in Durham this summer with the reputation as a dogged defender. And the 6-foot-1, 210-pound combo guard from New Jersey did cause some noticeable disruption in both scrimmages with his pesky hands and sufficient lateral quickness.

Even as a defender, though, Blakes occasionally found himself out of place.

Now, whether or not his grittiness on defense alone will earn him meaningful playing time as a rookie, well, that remains to be seen. Yes, Blakes may require a year or two to adequately develop the necessary perimeter skills to serve as a reliable primetime weapon at Duke.

Player grade: 76 (C)