Duke Basketball: 3 things team needs to work on for 2020 NCAA Tournament

The Fundamentals

While we get so caught up with the one-handed tomahawks of Cassius Stanley, the light feet and graceful moves of Vernon Carey or the tenacity and leadership of Tre Jones, the fundamentals of basketball underlie everything that we see on the court.  I have already mentioned some of the positions that Duke occupies in the team rankings, but looking at the #11 team in terms of field goal percentage and #5 in points per game, we see the importance of bringing those turnover numbers back to respectability.

Duke operates its offense with proficiency and efficiency.  They need to make sure they maximize possessions because they are likely to produce positive results if they are in a position to score.  Some turnovers are expected with the reliance on freshmen and changing lineups, but a lot of the turnovers, especially in the Louisville game, is unforced over dribbles, not being strong with the ball and failed entry passes.

Duke’s perimeter players should definitely work on feeding the post because when Vernon Carey touches the ball in the post, he can make a lot of things happen.  The failed entry passes drive him further from the lane where he can bury defenders with positioning and go right into finishing moves if the passes come in properly.

The slow death by a thousand back cuts from the Clemson game can also be cleaned up with better communication and not overplaying the ball while giving up the baseline.  Lapses will happen but games are lost because of it.

Perhaps the most concerning area of Duke’s inadequacies comes at the free throw line.  Duke was awful in the SFA loss and at Clemson, up 59-54, Carey missed five straight that would have extended the lead.  He leads the league in attempts but is on third in makes with a percentage under 60.

That’s a lot of points left on the court but Vernon is hardly the only culprit on the team.  Duke shoots 67.2% which ranks 264 in the NCAA and only Joey Baker shoots over 77%.  When the game is on the line, Michigan State elite eight anyone, you don’t want to leave points there or you go home.  Duke has learned this lesson before, but by working on a few things with the remaining time before March, they may yet be able to reach the goals that we have for themselves.