Duke needs to prove it can win on the road—and soon.
In losing to No. 20 Georgia Tech Saturday, the Blue Devils dropped their second true road game of the season. Ordinarily, that would not be much cause for concern, especially with the other loss coming at the hands of Wisconsin in the hostile Kohl Center. But Duke’s four wins away from Cameron Indoor Stadium have all come at neutral sites.
There are many possible explanations for the team’s road struggles, but I am going to advocate the simplest explanation: The Blue Devils’ stars haven’t played well in the same game.
Against the Badgers, Kyle Singler kept Duke in the game but got little help until late in the second half. Jon Scheyer scored 25 points in Atlanta Saturday afternoon, but he was the only starter in double figures.
It hasn’t just been a problem on the road, either. There have only been a handful of games all season in which Scheyer, Singler and Nolan Smith have played well. That may not matter in Cameron or Madison Square Garden, but it gets exposed in a hostile environment.
And in most games, the trio has not played to its full potential because Singler is not having the season he was expected to have.
Pegged as a preseason All-American, the junior forward has seen his numbers drop across the board, including field goal percentage (41.0 percent), 3-point percentage (34.7 percent), points (15.4 per game) and rebounds (6.9 per game). It may be due to his move to the perimeter, the increased expectations coming into the season or the pressure of a possible NBA career next year. Or none of those. Honestly, I have no idea. But I think it’s time to consider the once-unthinkable.
It’s time to bench Kyle Singler.
Now, I’m not suggesting he sit out the next several contests, nor am I saying he should come off the bench for the remainder of the season. And this isn’t punishment for a poor performance against Georgia Tech—if that were the case, Singler would be joined on the bench by everyone but Scheyer and Mason Plumlee.
Rather, it is an acknowledgement that something is wrong with Singler. He does not look comfortable, even though playing the perimeter should be more natural for him than banging in the post. He seems to be forcing shots in an effort to spark his offense, but that has only led to a lower shooting percentage. Singler shot just 2-of-13 from the field against the Yellow Jackets, and while head coach Mike Krzyzewski did not blame Singler for the loss, he acknowledged that his star forward did not play up to his usual standards.
“We obviously didn’t have the game that we need from Singler. I thought he had some really open looks that were there, and sometimes you don’t hit,” Krzyzewski said. “Kyle just didn’t have the game that we would like him to have. He had the game that Georgia Tech would like him to have.”
If the Blue Devils are going to make a deep NCAA Tournament run in March, they will have to rely on Singler. For that reason, he should come off the bench tonight against Boston College, and maybe Sunday against Wake Forest as well. And I’m not talking about a change in name only—he should be limited to about 20 minutes.
I realize that tonight’s contest is fairly important, with Duke coming off a loss, the Cameron Crazies back in the stands and conference play about to begin in earnest. But that is precisely why Singler needs to spend half the game watching. He needs to see that his teammates are fine without him. (Obviously, this plan is contingent on his teammates actually being OK without him, but they should be. If Maine can topple the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, then Duke can certainly beat them in Cameron.) Singler must realize that he does not have to go out of his way to carry the team, but can simply take whatever defenses give him. If he does that, it’s only a matter of time before he starts to look like the Kyle Singler of old. He’s too good of a shooter to stay in a slump forever.
Benching Singler would also free up playing time for Mason Plumlee, who had his best game as a Blue Devil Saturday, and Andre Dawkins, who has logged less than 10 minutes in four of the past five contests after playing double-digit minutes in every game before that.
Duke must get production from those freshmen as the season progresses. Plumlee may be the Blue Devils’ best interior scoring threat, and Dawkins has the purest shot of anybody on the team. Duke needs him to stretch defenses and relieve some of the backcourt burden from Scheyer and Smith. This would be the perfect opportunity to ease him back up to 15 to 20 minutes per game.
In the process, Singler could get some rest in a season in which he is playing the most minutes of his Duke career.
It would be a stark change for Singler, who has started all but one game since coming to Durham, a 2008 contest against UNC-Asheville in which every starter watched the opening tip from the bench. In the month following that game, Singler averaged more points, more rebounds, a higher shooting percentage and a higher 3-point percentage than he did in the month before it. There is no guarantee that that would happen again, but it is encouraging that it was successful once.
In all likelihood, we will not get to see if it will work again. When the starting lineups are announced tonight, Kyle Singler will probably hear his name called for the 86th time in his Blue Devil career. In the long run, though, it might be better for him—and his team—if he doesn’t.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.