he Duke basketball team started off the season on the right foot
The Duke basketball team of 2023–2024 has a completely different storyline than that of the previous year’s team.
The Blue Devils are bringing back the most players with 30 or more starts since 2000—that was a fairly strong year—and the most points scored since 2008.
Duke led the ACC in offensive rebounds per game the previous season, but they will struggle to repeat as leaders since this club is a much stronger shooting team and will provide them with less opportunities to pull down rebounds.
Let’s go on to the season of first games.
Minutes before tip-off, news of lower leg injuries sustained by Duke players was announced along with death and taxes. Since the NCAA Tournament, Mark Mitchell has now missed the previous two games.
Thankfully, it was reported during the game that it was an ankle sprain and that he nearly played, meaning he should be good to go for Duke’s next game on Friday against No. 12 Arizona (1-0).
With Mitchell out, the focus was on what Jon Scheyer was going to do with the starting lineup and captain Ryan Young got the opportunity to be on the court for the start of the game. This was a somewhat predictable decision as Young picked up where he left off last year as the most experienced player on the roster and a reliable defender and a capable low-post scorer.
Duke found that playing 5-out Dartmouth, whose offence is centred on dribble drives, backcuts, and rapid movement, was a good plan. The unique Duke pressure defence will require as many quality tests as possible in order to be ready for teams such as Michigan State, Arkansas, and Arizona.
Following Jared McCain’s second foul, Scheyer started the rotation with Caleb Foster, Christian Reeves, and Jaylen Blakes. Duke began the game 2-of-5 from 3-point range, but they soon found their shooting rhythm, finishing the first half with a trademark run.
is constantly in motion while on the court. Sometimes it results in chaos and turnovers offensively, but sometimes he will harass the opponents and shooting the gaps for steals.
Against opponents outside of the conference, Blakes is still living up to the hype. His style of play is best described as a tornado because he
In their first collegiate basketball game, Jared McCain and Caleb Foster, the two rookie guards, exuded confidence and poise.
McCain has little trouble hunting his shot and is extremely at ease with the ball in his hands. Throughout the season, Foster will be explosive during transition and attack the rim with the same level of aggression you see in upperclassmen.
Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach continued where they left off; their performances will only become better this year due to the offseason training they did as well as the fact that Duke’s depth at the guard position means they won’t have to do it all by themselves.
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After undergoing hip surgery in the off-season, Kyle Filipowski is expected to be very dangerous. His back-to-the-basket game is still lethal, but his jump shot appeared much more fluid than it did the previous year. With his ability to roll to the rim, float to space, or pop to the 3-point line, teams will find it difficult to guard him in pick-and-roll situations.
Overall, it was great start to the season for the Blue Devils with an extremely balanced scoring attack including four guys in double figures with Filipowski leading the way with 25 points.
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