Duke Blue Devils: Can They Continue To Improve?
Although Duke has always been known for having a eclectic mix of strong veteran leadership and a well-balanced team dynamic, this year, the Blue Devils have blossomed into an offensively efficient squad of competitive youngsters. While the Blue Devil’s erratic defense has succumbed to superior opponents, they have made some monumental improvements in their last five games (they haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 65 point in their last five outings). Despite the fact that the Blue Devils have to go on the road to a face a tough ACC opponent in Syracuse, they have matured quickly to utilize the full potential of all of the players on their roster.
The biggest difference between The Blue Devils of 2013 and ones of the present days is their patients and crafty footwork that allows them to garner essential rebounds. Although the Devil’s rebounding prowess still needs some work, it has vastly improved, allowing this driven squad to be multi-dimensional when it comes to both scoring and playing tight defense. As a result, the Blue Devils are able to get on a scoring streak without relinquishing basket after basket to the opposition. Although the Devils aren’t heavily reliant on a physically gifted center, Marshall Plumlee has made his appearances on the court and is an avid defensive contributor when he needs to be.
However, even with Duke’s rejuvenated gusto on defense, this team has also developed an impressive on the court cohesion that makes them dangerous when they get into any type of offensive rhythm. By far, Duke’s biggest offensive asset is their gifted freshman forward Jabari Parker. While Parker’s scoring prowess has taken a slight dip in the Devils last four victories, his rebounding skills have skyrocketed. In his last three games, Parker has garnered 40rebounds (he only grabbed 17 rebounds in the three games before that), and has blocked three shots while adding three steals to his now illustrious defensive resume. Although Parker’s accuracy has been noticeably inconsistent (he only completed 23.1% of his shots against Florida State), his free throw percentage has reached new heights (he shot 88.9% from the free thrown line against Florida State), which has still allowed him to be a solid scorer despite his erratic shooting percentage from the field.
While the Blue Devils have a fairly young roster, the dynamic abilities that are within each of these athletes are highly impressive. Whether its sophomore guard Rasheed Sulaimon’s vastly improved three point game (he improved his perimeter shooting from 37.1% last year to 46.2% this year) or senior guard Andre Dawkins persistence in becoming a reliable shooter from the free throw line (he improved his free throw shot from 73.9% last year to 88.5% this year), the Blue Devils have found ways to improve their game in subtle ways to make themselves more competitive against teams who are well balanced in terms of having veteran leadership to guide their younger players.
Of course, the Blue Devils’ intriguing improvements are the result of the passionate and proven coaching abilities of hall of fame coach Mike Krzyzewski. Even after Coach K battled for his 900th win as Duke’s basketball coach, it’s easy to see that his long tenure as a college basketball coach hasn’t worn him down. In fact, it seems that with every year Coach K continues to innovate and battle vigorously to win every game no matter how significant the match up may or may not be. His resiliency is a testament to his unwavering devotion to his athletes and his insatiable drive to be the best no matter how long it takes to reach that coveted accolade. Without the inspirational motivation from Coach K, it’s safe to say that Duke’s now dominant basketball program wouldn’t be the same without Krzyzewski’s drive for success and respect.
When all is said and done, the Blue Devils have proven that they can recognize their own shortcomings while making vast improvements to become a more complete team. Although this team has had its moments of underwhelming disappointments, their moments of triumph are indicative of a team that is willing to persevere through any type of adversity. Although the Devils still need to make incremental improvements to become supremely successful in the long run, the thought provoking changes they have made thus far are nothing short of miraculous.