Duke basketball: Intriguing prospect could play vital role against Arizona

The Duke basketball team might rely on an unproven center against Arizona. 

With rim protection being the Duke basketball team’s most significant question mark, can the Blue Devils turn to their big man, sophomore Christian Reeves, for quality minutes on Friday night against No. 12 Arizona?

Reeves’ development this year will be essential for Duke as the 7-foot-1 center can provide the Blue Devils with the shot-blocking and rebounding they desperately need.

He played 12 minutes in the season opener against. Dartmouth and recorded two points and three rebounds, a positive sign that he will get to prove that he can contribute moving forward.

He will likely see a fair share of minutes on Friday against the Wildcats in the first installment of the home-and-home series since his size and length could be valuable against big man Oumar Ballo, a dominant post presence for Arizona and the reigning Most Improved Player in the Pac-12 and First Team All-Pac-12 selection.

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Reeves played in 13 games last season and averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebound in 3.2 minutes per contest while shooting a total of 8-of-11 from the field.

Duke basketball hoping center can provide quality minutes

If Christian Reeves can put his stamp on a game like this, it only improves his chances going forward to land a significant role for the super-talented Blue Devils.

The expectations will continue to soar as the season continues and the coaching staff understands how vital Reeves’s presence could be for the team as they continue to develop him and bring him along.

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The lights will be bright this evening and all Duke fans are on edge waiting to see what Christian Reeves can contribute, hopefully he can ascend to the level of effectiveness needed.

Tipoff is at 7:00p.m. EST (ESPN2) from Cameron Indoor Stadium.