Seven observations from Duke basketball practice

BEIJING, CHINA — Sunday afternoon, I headed to Duke’s practice in the MasterCard Center, where the Blue Devils will play their final game in China tomorrow night at 8 p.m. local time. For Duke fans who can’t wait until the regular season to hear more about how the team looks, I jotted down a couple of notes:

• Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, father of freshman star Austin Rivers, sat by the court and watched the team practice. He kept a low profile and let the Duke staff work with the players.
• Nolan Smith was at practice and mostly ran around on the sidelines and signed autographs for a small group of fans at the stadium. He was the only player not wearing Nike gear, as the Portland Trailblazers wear Adidas.
• Sophomore forward Josh Hairston said he put on between 25 and 30 pounds since last season after spending most of the summer at Duke. He said this afternoon that he has lost a few pounds since the team started practicing, but the extra weight looks like it is helping him in the paint.
• The youngest Plumlee, Marshall, is the tallest of the three brothers. He’s assertive and very vocal on the court.
• Freshman guard Alex Murphy is frequently called “Murph” by the coaches and other players.
• Sophomore guard Tyler Thornton looks like he’s in better shape than last season. I haven’t gotten a chance to ask him what he did during the offseason, but it’s noticeable watching him play.
• Freshman Mike Gbinije can really jump. Every time he dunked during drills, he got up high off the floor and threw the ball down hard. He has a quiet personality, but you’d never guess when you watch him at the rim.