Slow starts. Single-digit wins. Racking up as many turnovers as assists. Fans of the Blue Devils don’t usually associate these phrases with a team that has won three consecutive ACC Tournament championships, but Duke has experienced all of these things in the early stages of the conference slate.
At the risk of sounding overcritical, I should acknowledge that the Blue Devils boast a 4-0 mark in the ACC. And despite a down year in the conference, one of those four wins came against an NCAA Tournament team—No. 15 Virginia. But Georgia Tech and Clemson sport a combined record of 17-18 and were both picked to finish in the bottom half of the ACC. And anything less than a drubbing in last night’s home game against lowly Wake Forest would’ve raised further eyebrows.
A win is a win, and it doesn’t make much sense to push the panic button when Duke owns the top spot in the conference. Nevertheless, it’s clear from the team’s recent performances that a go-to player has yet to emerge this season. And when the Blue Devils inevitably find themselves in a dogfight against No. 8 North Carolina—and possibly Florida State as soon as tomorrow afternoon, not to mention the NCAA Tournament—this apparent lack of floor leadership could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
I’m not the first to raise this concern. My fellow columnist Ryan Claxton wrote about the youth of this year’s team back in October, noting how the players previously had the luxury of leaning on Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Greg Paulus. The fact that the successor to this trio of leaders has yet to emerge became painfully apparent when Duke fell to Temple Jan. 4.
Claxton pointed to Seth Curry as someone who could lead by example and make crucial shots with the game on the line. But Curry seemed practically invisible in the Temple game, unable to create space for his shot against the Owls’ staunch perimeter defense. Miles Plumlee, the team’s lone senior, seems like the player best suited for the job. Both he and his brother Mason play with a level of passion that mirrors the floor generals of years past. The coaching staff certainly views Miles as one of the keys to the team.
“He’s our most physical guy, our best athlete, and our oldest player. He’s the heart of our team,” associate head coach Chris Collins said of Miles during a radio appearance Wednesday. “We’re so proud of how he’s playing.”
Miles displays the hustle and determination of a floor leader (he ranks ninth in the nation in offensive rebounding rate), and his penchant for throwing down monstrous dunks means he can quickly get the rest of his teammates fired up. His limited playing time, however, restricts his ability to rally the rest of the Blue Devils.
Whereas Smith, Scheyer and Paulus would routinely play the full 40, Plumlee averages only 18 minutes per game. And even though he cracked the starting lineup last night, he picked up two quick fouls and sat out for seven minutes before returning.
Given the Blue Devils’ personnel and the offensive skills of Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, it doesn’t look like Miles will receive a significant increase in playing time for the rest of the season. This presents an opportunity for one of the underclassmen to take more ownership of the team.
Whether Austin Rivers, Quinn Cook or Tyler Thornton possesses the charisma of a Nolan Smith remains to be seen. But without a sustained leadership presence on the court, I predict Duke will continue to struggle to put away some of the more pesky ACC squads.
Jeff Scholl is a Duke senior and former managing editor of The Chronicle’s sports section. His column runs on a bi-weekly basis.
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