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Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from tough win versus Hartford

DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 05: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils defends a shot by John Carroll #5 of the Hartford Hawks in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 5, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 05: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils defends a shot by John Carroll #5 of the Hartford Hawks in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 5, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
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DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 02: Javin DeLaurier #12 of the Duke Blue Devils goes to the basket against Tyler Hagedorn #25 of the South Dakota Coyotes at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 02: Javin DeLaurier #12 of the Duke Blue Devils goes to the basket against Tyler Hagedorn #25 of the South Dakota Coyotes at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

Javin DeLaurier can be an impactful role player.

Heading into the season Junior Captain Javin DeLaurier was expected to start at center for the Blue Devil’s. However, DeLaurier ended up dealing with a foot injury before the season started.

DeLaurier is a player who gets others to feed off his high energy on the court. When he is in the game he is a great communicator on the defensive end of the floor. He can also switch onto anyone on the floor and guard them relatively effectively.

An area where DeLaurier had an opportunity to grow was not fouling while on the floor. Foul trouble limited the amount of minutes he could play. Wednesday night everything seemed to click for DeLaurier for the first time this year.

DeLaurier was extremely active on the defensive end of the floor. He was able to come away with five blocks and three steals. DeLaurier finished the game with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in nineteen minutes. He also shot a perfect five of five from the field.

Look for DeLaurier to take confidence from this breakout game into the rest of the season.