The junior guard brings something to the court that no other Blue Devil can, outweighing his offensive limitations
Imagine that a new AI algorithm is released that can make individual basketball players unrecognizable on film. Without Jared McCain’s trademark style or Kyle Filipowski’s imposing seven foot frame, it might be difficult to differentiate between individual players in Duke’s modern, spread offense.
The defensive end of the court would be another story.
I’d argue that even with this hypothetical technology (which, let’s be honest, probably isn’t all that hypothetical at this point), most Blue Devil fans would still be able to identify which blur was Jaylen Blakes on defense. No Duke player exerts the defensive pressure that Blakes does. No Blue Devil gets around screens as aggressively as Blakes. If you saw someone diving on the court for a loose ball, it’s a solid bet it’d be Blakes.
That is why, even when Tyrese Proctor returns to health, the junior guard must remain an important part of Jon Scheyer’s rotation.
There were a number of coaching changes made by Scheyer in Duke’s decisive win over Charlotte to stop a two-game losing streak, but arguably the most underappreciated was Blakes coming off the bench first. Blakes answered with his greatest game in over a year, scoring 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, his most since two 17-point outings in ACC play last December.
That offensive output is just a bonus, though. Blakes brings something on the defensive end of the court that no other Duke guard can match, which is all the more important given the Blue Devils’ tendencies for sluggish starts this season. That need for aggressive perimeter defense is amplified by the hole that Dereck Lively’s departure to the NBA has left in Duke’s starting lineup; arguably, his impact on last year’s team is only now being fully recognized as we see how many defensive lapses his presence negated.
Blakes may never be a consistent 20+ minute per game player in a Duke uniform, but he’s ideally suited as a sixth man. If the Blue Devils start sluggishly, Scheyer knows that Blakes will come in and impact the game defensively. His energy is clearly infectious, as evidenced by how his offensive output seemed to motivate his teammates on Saturday.
And lest we forget, when Blakes plays within himself he’s not a total offensive liability. Despite his tendency for ugly misses, the junior is 4-for-9 from beyond the arc this season, after shooting a respectable 34% from deep last year. While he hasn’t been called on much in Duke’s higher profile games this season, he’s proven he can provide positive minutes in ACC play, including a 6-game stretch early last season in which he averaged more than 21 minutes per game. What role Blakes might have served had he not broken his nose in practice last January is one of many “what if’s” of the 2022-23 season.
Many similar buzzwords were used by Duke players and coaches to explain their two-game road losing streak: a lack of effort, enthusiasm, hustle, and the like, particularly early in games, was blamed heavily. Jaylen Blakes is likely the only Duke player who can be counted on to play with the defensive tenacity and energy that this young Blue Devil squad requires. Whether he gets a few transition buckets or doesn’t score at all, that’s an aspect that has been lacking in many Duke games this season. Blakes must continue to see the floor early in games to offer a much-needed spark for this team.
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