The Duke basketball team is showing the value of sharing the ball and trusting each other.
It has nearly been a perfect offseason for the Duke basketball program and its summer workout program continues to shine.
The Blue Devils recently returned Jeremy Roach and Mark Mitchell to the court after not being cleared for contact at the beginning of the summer and Kyle Filipowski should join his teammates in August as he continues to recover from double hip surgery.
However, the freshmen have truly stood out since arriving on campus and returning sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor has taken the next step in his development and is primed for a break out season.
Duke averaged 14.6 assists per game last season and Jon Scheyer has put an emphasis on sharing the ball and running the floor entering his second season as the team’s head coach.
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“I think the difference this year is that we feel like we can be more of an explosive team in transition,” Scheyer said last week when meeting the media for the first time this summer.
“We have really good guard play and very mobile bigs, but sharing the ball is going to be a key thing. We can’t be about individual stats, we’re going to be a team with different leading scorers.”
Filipowski and Roach were the only two players to average double figures last season at 15.1 and 13.6 points per game, respectively, but the Blue Devils had seven players average at least 5.0 points.
“Sharing the ball, playing fast, playing with space…We weren’t able to do that as much last year,” Scheyer added.
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This season looks a lot different, even without Kyle Filipowski on the court yet, as Duke is showcasing its unselfishness in the summer and its social media team has been there to capture the moments.
Love the ball movement! pic.twitter.com/XixaeULiHr
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 18, 2023
The forwards of the Blue Devils, Ryan Young and freshman Sean Stewart, have even shown the ability to create a fast break off of a miss shot in a recent 4-on-4 scrimmage.
“I think the spacing, the scoring, driving…and of course, making the right reads, because you have shooting around you,” Jon Scheyer explained.
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Freshmen guards Caleb Foster and Jared McCain will help contribute to the improved scoring as both enter Durham with a decorated high school career.
Duke is expected to be one of the favorites to win the ACC this season due to its improved offense and continued tenacious defense.