Last week people wondered if Duke could contain the frontcourt of Ohio State, namely star forward Jared Sullinger. Only one week later, it is apparent that the Blue Devils’ problems extended to an area in which they generally succeed: three-point shooting.
In Duke’s first seven games of the season, the team shot 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc. In Columbus, the Blue Devils shot slightly above average overall, but made only 20 percent of their three-pointers.
If it were not already clear that this Duke team, like several others, is dependent on successful 3-point shooting, it is now. So what happened against the Buckeyes that caused such a dramatic change in success? The answer comes in the play of Austin Rivers.
Rivers played solidly, scoring a team-high 22 points and turned the ball over only two times in the game. His quickness and ability to get into the lane opened up a number of layup opportunities that acted as the only offense for the Blue Devils. These plays were no fluke either, as Rivers has shown he is the best on the team at creating his own plays.
This still leaves to question: how did Rivers’ play affect the success behind the arc? After all, if Rivers truly is the best at creating his own shots, why change his approach in the future? I am not indicating he needs to change his style of play, but rather tweak it.
One reason Duke has been consistently good for so long from three-point land is its ball movement. By moving the ball around, players have been able to find separation from defenders and score on better looks at the basket. The key has been penetration into the paint. With opposing defenses closing in, Blue Devil guards created the option of finishing at the basket or dishing to an open player on the outside. That is where Rivers comes in.
Against Ohio State, according to unofficial statistics, Rivers had 37 touches in the game, meaning he touched the ball on a particular possession. On almost 49 percent of those possessions, Rivers drove into the lane. Once he reached the painted area, the freshman shot 66 percent of the time and passed only 20 percent of the time. The other 14 percent of the time he turned the ball over or was fouled.
The obvious thought right now for Rivers is shoot first, which is not a bad thing. He scored six times when driving and could have easily scored more. However, reflect a problem for the rest of the team. Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins, took a combined three shots, none of which were 3-point attempts. This came from two players who averaged a combined 9.3 3-point attempts coming into the contest. Even Seth Curry was only able to make two of his six attempts from 3-point range.
Rivers is not the only one responsible for the ball movement issues. 78 percent of the time, three or fewer players touched the ball for the Blue Devils, and not once did the team pass to all five players before the end of a possession. In the second half, Duke only passed the ball to four different players one time. Of the possessions that ended with only one player touching the ball, nearly half were in Rivers’ hands.
The statistics and final point tally, a 22-point loss, do not lie: this offensive strategy did not work against the Buckeyes and will not work against other national championship contenders. If the Blue Devils can work into a drive-and-kick offense, with Rivers taking over duty as the point guard, the team will have a far better chance of securing their fifth title under Coach K.
Although there are improvements that can be made, it should be noted that Duke did just take on one of the best teams in the country in their first true road test of the season. The Blue Devils also played eight games in 18 days while traveling to New York City, Maui, and Columbus. All of that aside, Duke is still a very good team with a lot of room to grow, and with a much easier December schedule, I think it can happen.
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