Why isn't Duke better?

[OttoinGrotto]

They needed the most efficient game ever played in the ACC tourney to take out our depleted team.

They've got guys on the roster with seemingly zero discernible skill.

They take a burger boy like Reddish and do absolutely nothing with him.

I mean, take away the officiating edge, and that is not an impressive team this year.

K better thank Capel's bag for delivering Zion as Capel's last gift to the program.

 

[CardiacCuse]

reddish and jones are not first round talent, imo...they are like ray king and whoever the other guy was on the fab 5...coasting off of the other 2.

zion is a monster...but give him some centers with actual size and athleticism ...he will probably struggle...or at least it is conceivable he could.lol.

going out on a limb but barrett is okay but i think he will struggle in the nba...at least for a good while until he figures it out. as soon as he's not more athletic than his defenders he's gonna struggle, imo. at least this version of him...sure in a few yaers he's likely going to be a problem...but not for a few seasons more at least.

i agree with you - some of the players on their team are not even good enough to be on a mid-major - don't know how some of them got on duke in the first place.

i think the shine of zion and barrett is blinding people to how bad a lot of the other duke players are.

 

[longislandcuse]

RJ Barrett is back to being a poor man’s Robin with Batman back. Reddish doesn’t even know games are being played. Tre Jones is a product of the ESPN hype machine where getting hurt against us turned him into Patrick Beverley. Everyone else just stands around and hopes they don’t get passed the ball.

 

[SWC75]

I didn't see a national champion out there tonight or in our other games with them, either.

 

[JLine]

They don’t play good team basketball. Talent that just stands around isn’t more successful than less talent that play as a cohesive unit.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Lol ray king

It was ray jackson and jimmy king
Jimmy King was legit
Jackson was the only real piggy backer
They almost had vashaun Leonard instead ... now that would have been scary

 

[cuseinseattle]

reddish and jones are not first round talent, imo...they are like ray king and whoever the other guy was on the fab 5...coasting off of the other 2.

zion is a monster...but give him some centers with actual size and athleticism ...he will probably struggle...or at least it is conceivable he could.lol.

going out on a limb but barrett is okay but i think he will struggle in the nba...at least for a good while until he figures it out. as soon as he's not more athletic than his defenders he's gonna struggle, imo. at least this version of him...sure in a few yaers he's likely going to be a problem...but not for a few seasons more at least.

i agree with you - some of the players on their team are not even good enough to be on a mid-major - don't know how some of them got on duke in the first place.

i think the shine of zion and barrett is blinding people to how bad a lot of the other duke players are.

Ray king? I think you mean Ray Jackson and Jimmy King

 

[Delmar]

Zion had 20+, 10+, and 5 steals and we were tied at 50. It was a mystery.

Today's game against the underwater basket-weaving majors will say a lot about how good Duke is.

 

[Zepharus]

Zion had 20+, 10+, and 5 steals and we were tied at 50. It was a mystery.

Today's game against the underwater basket-weaving majors will say a lot about how good Duke is.

Its not really a mystery. Zion is great, but he makes the TEAM worse. The poster that called out Barrett as Robin is spot on. Zion takes center stage and the other players shrink because of it. when it all comes out that duke is paying these dudes I will sit back , smile and light up the biggest fatty the world have ever seen.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I said in the game thread Reddish should have went somewhere else. I could totally see Duke lose early especially if Zion gets in foul trouble.

 

[dan7800]

One thing I've felt like all year, is that Zion can pretty much score whenever he really wants to. I've felt like they're almost saving him for the tourney.

 

[upperdeck]

if they play someone with real center or someone that makes zion play defense they will need to shoot lights out

 

[Newhouser]

I think a lot of their guys are overrated because they sign with Duke. They get hyped up by the ESPN machine and off they go. I don't think there is one sure fire pro on that team except Zion and I am not sure his body holds up for the long run. He's Larry Johnson modern age - I don't trust his explosiveness lasts and without that his game becomes pretty pedestrian.

 

[cspades99]

It's becoming more and more clear to me that as K has become THE recruiter in college hoops (with the help of staff), I find it harder and harder to point out where he's actually developing a team throughout the year. Last night, the only adjustment he made was waiting for the short SU rotation to get gassed. They have by far the most individual talent in college basketball and I'm not sure they'll even make it to weekend 3.

Reddish doesn't fit with these two (Zion and Barrett) and Jones isn't very good.

 

[AZOrange]

This team isn’t winning a natty imo. They’re good but there’s something missing. Their bench is really bad. How do you have a team with Zion and Jack White? I’m shocked how overmatched Cam looks

 

[cspades99]

This team isn’t winning a natty imo. They’re good but there’s something missing. Their bench is really bad. How do you have a team with Zion and Jack White? I’m shocked how overmatched Cam looks

Their team is wholly mediocre, top to bottom, after Zion. They aren't making the FF unless someone gets hot from three for a few games.

Edit: mediocre for Duke. They are likely a Sweet 16 team without Zion, all in all.

 

[Bayside44]

If / when they get a ref that doesn't take to Zion's bull in a china shop gig they'll have real problems. I'm not sure UNC gets them tonight but UNC is a much more balanced team, IMO.

 

[Tom K.]

Assuming the talent disparity isn't that great, any cohesive team can beat that rag tag group.
What were they 3-3 without Zion? They are probably better than a .500 team without him but maybe not much. Barely squeaked by Wake Forest.
The strategy has been used for years with a player of supreme talent like Zion.
He's going to get his, stop the rest of the team.

I don't want to take anything away from Virginia because they are fantastic, but I'm sort of likening this to the loss against them. If VA shoots the 3 at 40% in that game we're in it to win at the end.
If Zion shoots it at his still absurd 70% average, we're in it to win at the end.

I know, whole lotta "ifs".

 

[Tom K.]

If / when they get a ref that doesn't take to Zion's bull in a china shop gig they'll have real problems. I'm not sure UNC gets them tonight but UNC is a much more balanced team, IMO.

Really hoping there is a ref out there just chomping at the bit to get a Duke game.

 

[Col. Bleep]

Last night the answer was turnovers.
Duke didn't take care of the ball...that and Frank Howard's sudden return to offensive effectiveness are what kept the Orange in it (notwithstanding all their own turnovers).

As for Zion facing some competition...Luke Maye isn't exactly a slouch.

 

[SWC75]

Its not really a mystery. Zion is great, but he makes the TEAM worse. The poster that called out Barrett as Robin is spot on. Zion takes center stage and the other players shrink because of it. when it all comes out that duke is paying these dudes I will sit back , smile and light up the biggest fatty the world have ever seen.

I wonder if the same thing isn't true of SU. When Battle comes back, do we see the Frank, Oshae and Elijah we saw the last two nights?

If so, we can beat anybody. .

But what if they revert to their typical play this season and Tyus is trying to beat teams by himself again?

 

[Cusefan0307]

We had posters at the beginning of the year say Duke was going 40-0. Lol.

Not as good as the Okafor team, Uk team, or Wisconsin team from 2015.

 

[CorduroyG]

when they were healthy and rolling in the middle of the year they were clearly the best team. now with the bolden injury and guys having to adjust to zion being back theyre not the same. i think theyre a lock final 4 team, and i still think they win it all.

 

[Newhouser]

Zion seems to lose steam as the game goes along. Hang with them and wait until he tires and take them out at the end.

 

[SWC75]

Zion seems to lose steam as the game goes along. Hang with them and wait until he tires and take them out at the end.