Duke Basketball: Biggest keys for Blue Devils in final month of 2019-20
Wendell Moore
Moore gets the fourth-most minutes so he is fourth on the breakdown list. He looks to be fully back from the hand injury that sidelined him for a month. He had a breakout game in Chapel Hill, helping propel Duke to the comeback win with 17-pts 10-reb 2-ast with two turnovers.
In the two games since Moore is averaging 3-pts 4-reb 1.5-ast with three turnovers. On the year, he gives the ball away 2.6 times a game while dishing out two assists. He has a tendency to overdrive and either turn it over or get a charge called against him.
Where Stanley needs to play with more aggression, Moore sometimes plays with too much. He is asked to do a lot of things for Duke from guarding the opposing team’s best forward, to rebounding and playing the point.
He would benefit greatly from developing a floater/runner game and working on jump stops and elevation. Stanley does this very well so if they were combined, you might have the perfect player. At least they should be able to help each other develop playing in practice and gaining knowledge of the other’s strengths.
Moore is powerfully built, very athletic and plays with attitude. He has a little nasty in him and doesn’t mind telling his opposition about it. The game against the Tar Heels should be his blueprint going forward.
Wendell was very aggressive attacking the rim and not settling for jumpers. He is hard to contain off the bounce and uses his body well to gain and hold position. He was 7-10 from the line against UNC and shoots 72% on his free throws for the season. He only averages 2.2 attempts per game though and he should look to up his trips to the stripe.
He also attacked the boards frequently in that game, recording his only double-double on the season. With his body type, aggression and athleticism, there is no reason he shouldn’t average over 4 rebounds a game. He could throw some hammers down on putbacks if he gets a little more involved hitting the glass.
The potential and attitude are both there, but with a little more focus on certain aspects of the game and more control in his decision-making, Moore can have a Justice Winslow type impact for this version of the Devils.