Despite Duke basketball (18-2, 10-0 ACC) being without key defensive piece Maliq Brown for the last four games, the program has still managed to win all of those games and hold opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
One of Duke's biggest strengths this season has been its sheer depth on both sides of the ball. Seven guys in the rotation average at least 5.6 points per game, and there isn't a bad defender that Jon Scheyer throws onto the court.
One veteran that has really stepped up in the absence of Brown is Purdue transfer Mason Gillis. Despite averaging a mere 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds on 45% shooting on the season, over the last four games in Brown's absence, Gillis has bumped his numbers to 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds on 56% shooting from the field.
Gillis was brought in as a premier three-and-D veteran prospect at 6' 6" and 225 pounds. He's a good defender that can guard on the perimeter while also holding his own inside, but he was also one of the best three point shooters in the nation.
With Purdue in 2024, Gillis was the 7th-best three point shooter in the country percentage-wise, hitting from beyond the perimeter at a 46.8% clip on 3.2 attempts a night.
His mold fitted Scheyer's idea for his squad this year perfectly, but he was a bit up-and-down on the offensive side of the ball and his minutes were fairly inconsistent for the majority of the season up to Brown's injury.
Gillis averaged 15.3 minutes a game across Duke's first seven of the season, but struggled from three, hitting them at just a 6-of-23 (26%) clip. Over the Blue Devils' next nine games, his minutes dropped to 12.2 a night, still struggling to find consistency from the three point line.
In total through Duke's first 16 games of the season, Gillis was sitting at 12-of-41 (29.2%) shooting from three and was practically nonexistent on the offensive side of the ball.
Yet over these last four games with Brown out, Gillis has earned all of the extended minutes he's gotten. He's played an average of 19.8 minutes a game over the last four. Two of those contests he's seen over 20 minutes after not seeing 20 minutes since Duke's opening night win over Maine on November 5th.
Over this stretch, Gillis has shot 7-of-13 (53.8%) from beyond the arc. He's tallied double figure scoring in two of those games after eclipsing double figures twice over the Blue Devils' first 16 games.
He hasn't tried to be a star, but has been a consistent threat on offense for Scheyer's team, which they needed, while also continuing to play good defense.
Duke fans hope Gillis has found his groove from beyond the arc as he's done over the last few games and can continue to be a consistent piece to stretch the floor for the Blue Devils even more.
It's UNC Hate Week for Duke fans as the Blue Devils are gearing up for the first edition of the rivalry, when Duke hosts North Carolina (13-9, 6-4 ACC) on February 2nd (6:30pm ET, ESPN).