Duke Basketball: 2021-22 keys to beating North Carolina on the road
Get A.J. Griffin Involved
Lately, A.J. Griffin has really sprung into his own for the Blue Devils, and when he is involved on the offensive end, and he’s making his shots, it’s nearly impossible to guard the Blue Devils. Duke already had four threats on the offensive end: Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore jr., Mark Williams, and Trevor Keels, but now that Griffin is proving to be a threat on offense, the Blue Devils are that much more difficult to guard.
Griffin has taken seven or more shots in only 10 games this season, in those 10 games, he holds a field goal percentage of 58.1%, with an average of 14.8 points per game, and the Blue Devils are 9-1 in those 10 games.
When Duke gets Griffin involved on the offensive end, it opens up their offense in a completely different way, because the defense is forced to pick their poison when it comes to defensive pressure, because he is yet another offensive threat that they have to put pressure on.
If Duke can let A.J. Griffin take some shots early on, and he’s making them, it would then cause problems for North Carolina throughout the remainder of the game. Duke would then be able to run more plays through Griffin, where he could then pass it off to a teammate who has a more open shot because the Tar Heels are closing out on him, or Griffin could simply take the shot because they’re choosing to prioritize one of the four other threats Duke has.
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If Griffin is a key part of the Blue Devils’ offense on Saturday night, and he’s making the shots he’s given, chances are Duke will be able to win the game, and leave the Smith Center without allowing their biggest rival to catch up in the ACC race.