J.J. Redick didn't make a three-pointer in Duke's season-opener Monday night.
In fact, he only attempted three.
But there's no reason for alarm in Durham. The preseason All-American still led the Blue Devils in scoring with 19 points and exhibited the poise that head coach Mike Krzyzewski has come to expect of his senior leaders.
After a junior year in which Redick became a more complete player than he had been in his first two seasons at Duke, the senior showed yet another look last night as he began his final campaign.
Rather than spotting up for three-pointers, Redick rolled off curls, used an improved pump-fake and created shots for himself with the dribble.
"Just the way the game was going, I just didn't get many three looks," Redick said. "It's not where I'm going to take a bad three just to try to hit one. "
Give Boston University credit. The Terriers did an admirable job closing out on Redick around the perimeter and holding the Blue Devils' best shooter without a three for just the fifth time in his career.
But the way in which Redick adapted to the defensive pressure was very impressive. He was assertive with the ball and was an efficient 7-for-14 from the field.
With the shot clock ticking down and less than three minutes remaining in a 17-point game, Redick rolled to the top of the key and received a pass.
But instead of hoisting a three like he was prone to do at times in years past, the guard faked out his defender, switched the ball to his left hand and drove to the basket. As he came down the lane, Redick deked another Terrier with a pass fake to the corner and came to a jump-stop before laying the ball in with his left hand.
Redick looked confident putting the ball on the floor and took it aggressively to the basket on a number of occasions. Although he finished with just two assists, the defensive attention he drew freed up looks for his teammates-Duke's shots just wouldn't fall Monday.
"There were a couple of times toward the end of the game where we were running L.A. [an offensive set] toward the end of the shot clock, and I could've forced one up there, but DeMarcus [Nelson] was open so I hit him," Redick said.
Before the season, Krzyzewski said he wanted Redick to learn to call his own plays in the flow of the game; Krzyzewski didn't want to call 20 plays designed for Redick and have the rest of the Blue Devils stand around on offense, he added.
Rarely did Redick run off double- or triple-screens during Monday's victory. Instead, he showed the ability to catch the ball off curls and use an elaborate array of his own moves to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.
The Redick of old-the one that made 121 threes last year-will shine again this season. But the captain seems to have just retooled his game again, adding yet another dimension to an offensive repertoire that was already one of the nation's most deadly.
"J.J.'s a scorer, he's going to do anything to score," Sean Dockery said. "Anything J.J. does it seems like it's going to be effective. If he's driving and getting it done, than why not keep going with what you're successful."
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