Lost in the hype of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje mania, 5-star guard Deron Rippey Jr. looks the part of a freshman contributor. He was the most impressive freshman performer for Duke during Saturday night's Countdown to Craziness scrimmage. Granted, it was only 12 minutes and should be taken with a grain of salt, but it was impossible not to be impressed by Rippey's explosiveness, poise, and confidence.
Rippey was a team-high +8 in 11 minutes. He scored seven points, dished three assists, and came up with two steals. He showed his explosive athleticism with a transition dunk. He showed his confidence by stepping up and draining the game-winning three-pointer to satisfy the "Elam Ending" the Blue Devils played to.
All the guards looked good. John Blackwell looked like the professional scorer that Duke knew it was getting out of the Transfer Portal from Wisconsin. Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer looked poised and experienced.
But Rippey presents a different dynamic. He's the explosive, dynamic guard that Duke hasn't had in quite some time. While he has been looked at as the No. 4 guard among the group, that might be foolish. Jon Scheyer is going to have a really tough time keeping him off the court.
Deron Rippey looks like an immediate high-level contributor for Duke
Rippey's performance was my biggest takeaway from the Countdown to Craziness on Saturday night. He just looks the part. Again, it's only a scrimmage, but his competitiveness shined through. He's just got that aura of confidence and swagger that you have to have as a young guard to play at a high level.
Any minutes he receives this year will have to be earned. There's a ton of talent in the Blue Devils' backcourt that will make it difficult for him to get extended minutes. But he's also quickly making it impossible for Scheyer to just leave him on the bench.
He looks too good. Too explosive. Too dynamic. One scrimmage isn't the be-all, end-all for Rippey, but it gave Duke fans the first glimpse of what to expect from the 5-star guard this season in Durham. And that glimpse was incredibly exciting.
Both Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams looked a bit timid in their first action in front of a Duke crowd. That's to be expected. Surprisingly, the most impressive Duke freshman big was Maxime Meyer, a guy not expected to have a role in his first season with the Blue Devils. He scored six points on 3-of-3 from the floor, grabbed two offensive rebounds, and had an impressive denial of Foster at the rim.
Bryson Howard canned his only shot attempt, a transition three, showcasing the translateable skill that should earn him minutes as a freshman.
But no freshman for Duke was more impressive than Rippey. He's going to carve out an immediate role in Duke's rotation, and it might be even bigger than fans - or even Scheyer - expected.
Figuring out the backcourt rotation will be difficult, but it's a good problem to have.
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