In the week leading up to Duke basketball’s first game of the season Friday against Georgia State, The Blue Zone will preview all the expected contributors on this 2012-2013 squad, beginning with the freshman Monday and ending with the seniors Friday.
Seth Curry
- Year: Senior
- Position: Shooting Guard
- Last Season Stats: 13.2 PPG, 87.3 FT%, 2.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.6 RBG
Game Breakdown: Seth Curry appeared in last week’s exhibition game against Winston Salem State, but has been affected by a lingering lower leg injury. After transferring from Liberty and sitting out the 2010 national championship season, Curry stepped into Cameron Indoor Stadium and made an impact.
Averaging 30 minutes per game last season, the most of any returning player, he may be the most experienced and versatile player the team has. By trade he is a shooting guard, and has shown that he can reliably hit from downtown. However, for shorts spurts, Curry has filled the role of point guard, and ended last year leading the team with 83 assists.
Last year’s Duke squad had one of the worst defensive seasons under head coach Mike Krzyzweski and even though Curry is not the quickest player on the floor, he led the team with 43 steals due to his ability to read plays. Known as an intelligent player with a thorough understanding of the game, his leadership, experience and health could be integral to the success of this team.
Role on the Team: If Curry’s injury persists, it may affect his ability to play on the floor for long stretches of minutes. Regardless, he will be an integral leader no matter if he is on the bench or the floor. As long as Curry is healthy, he will start this season and has the possibility to create a deeper backcourt if he can take occasionally on the point guard role from Quinn Cook.
Player Comparison: While it may be easy to compare Curry to his older brother Stephen or maybe even to Jamal Jeffries, the star of “Juwanna Man” where Curry made a cameo, that would be a cop out. Instead, Curry’s 3-point accuracy and ACC-leading free throw percentage are reminiscent of Michael Redd in his prime. Redd was one of the premier 3-point shooters in the NBA from the shooting guard position and honed that skill set while at Ohio State. Redd was never the quickest guard, like Curry, but always found a way to light up the scoreboard by getting to the whole and raining treys.
Predicted Stats: 15.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG
Who we’ve already previewed: Amile Jefferson, Rasheed Sulaimon, Alex Murphy, Marshall Plumlee, Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton
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