Gonzaga Basketball: Takeaways from the 2018 Maui Invitational

3 of 4

LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 21: Cam Reddish #2 of the Duke Blue Devils hangs in the air as he shoots over Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half of the game at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

2) Athleticism is no longer an issue on defense

Over the past few seasons, the biggest weakness for the Zags defense has been their ability to contain athletic teams and get back in time to force half court sets. Against Duke, the Bulldogs showed that their roster is more athletic than it has been in years past.

Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura could be one of the most athletic frontcourt tandems in the country and managed to hold Cam Reddish, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson to 20-51 from the floor. Their ability to get back on defense forced the Blue Devils into a lot of halfcourt sets, which created more than a few freshman mistakes. Jeremy Jones also provided length and athleticism off the bench and aided in Gonzaga’s close win over Illinois.

The Zags backcourt is also full of length, with every player standing at 6’3” or taller. This makes shooting over them an incredibly difficult task. Most teams started to run shooters off of a ton of screens, but the Bulldogs ability to switch on the perimeter helped to put an end to that strategy.

This Gonzaga team could have an even better defense than the 2017 Final Four team, and every player can run the floor with even the most athletic teams. There is still room to improve in terms of communication and positioning, but that will come as the season progresses.