Duke Basketball: Biggest keys for Blue Devils in final month of 2019-20

Cassius Stanley

I don’t think anyone thought another player could come into Duke and make us forget about the crazy feats of athleticism that Zion Williamson pulled off on a nightly basis. While this is still true, Zion does have an athletic rival in Cassius Stanley, especially in the dunking department.

There may not be a better one-handed, tomahawk and alley-oop dunker than Stanley. He also has quick hands where he can gather for the floats and finishes that most of us can only dream of. He is more than just a freak athlete though.

Stanley is a solid shooter, 48.5% FG and 33.3% from 3pt, and rebounder at 4.7 a game. Although he only averages 1.1 assists, that is not his role with the Devils. He is an energy creator and momentum builder. He provides the spectacular plays that gets the home crowd going and shuts the away ones up.

What he needs to do is be continuously aggressive.  Over his last eleven, he went from averaging 17.6 in the first five to uneven performances during the last six, going for: 9-11-15-7-22-9.  He needs to be the consistent scorer he was in those first five where he scored between 14 and 24 points in every game.

Stanley is also too athletic with good quickness and length to be averaging less than a steal a game for a player with the third-most minutes on the squad.  Four teammates who play less time have a higher steal percentage than Stanley.

He is such a good transition player where he should be able to get into passing lanes and give himself easy opportunities for those momentum-swinging plays.  He can be devastating with an open lane to the basket and it would be fun to see him unleash something special.

He should also attack the rim more often as well.  He shoots 74% on his free throws, but only gets to the line 3.7 times a game.  With his ability to leap and adjust midair with a nice touch, he should be a candidate for a few and ones per game.  He is slight of build so this may contribute to his tendency for the floater rather than the hard drive, although his rebounding totals suggest he doesn’t mind mixing it up.

He is still a freshman, but as an older one at twenty, he should look for his scoring more often and in more forceful ways.  He is a game-changing kind of player and the more opportunity he gives himself with aggressive play on both ends, the better Duke will be for it.