With Duke's season in the books, The Blue Zone will review the seasons of all the Blue Devils, beginning with the freshman Monday and ending with the seniors and graduate students Friday.
Jabari Parker
- Year: Freshman
- Height: 6-foot-8
- This year’s statline: 19.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.1 SPG
- The Blue Zone's projected stat line: 18.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG
Season breakdown: Jabari Parker was good, and then some. The eventual ACC Rookie of the Year award winner didn’t waste any time taking the NCAA by storm and showing America that he was one of the best college basketball players in the country. Parker put on a clinic against fellow standout freshman Andrew Wiggins and his Kansas Jayhawks in just the second game of the season. Parker erupted for 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and almost carried the Blue Devils with him to victory. The freshman’s efficient shooting continued throughout the season, where he shot 47.3 percent from the field and a respectable 35.8 percent from three. Parker though, did more than just score for the undersized Duke squad. He led the team in rebounds with 8.7 per game, and played the second most minutes behind fellow starting forward Rodney Hood. Simply put, Parker was everywhere.
Despite his impressive regular season performance, the Chicago-native struggled in NCAA play. Parker shot just 4-for-14 from the field en route to a mere 14 points against the Mercer Bears in the opening tournament game for Duke. In addition to his shooting struggles, the freshman forward turned it over four times, up from his 2.3 turnovers per game average on the season. The poor performance gave Parker a bitter taste to linger over as the Blue Devils sat at home watching the remainder of the games, and has some NBA scouts unsure of whether the star will decide to return for his sophomore season in Durham.
Results relative to expectations: Even with all of the hype following him to Duke for his freshman campaign, Parker managed to exceed expectations this past season. He scored and rebounded more than we predicted for him on the season, but it was the way he did it that was so spectacular. Parker showed ease in taking a rebound and running a 1-on-5 fast break against back peddling opponents. He flashed explosiveness with his first step and finesse from behind the arc. He showed heart and aggression while doing the dirty work in the paint, something that many stars shy away from being a part of.
Parker’s play this season was so unbelievable that he is considered a potential number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft… that is, if he declares for it. All Duke fans will continue to monitor social media and sports sites until the upcoming draft declaring deadline for underclassmen on April 27. If Parker decides to stay in Durham for his sophomore season, the Blue Devils are immediate contenders for the national championship. Otherwise, one badly struggling NBA organization will get a whole lot better.
In case you've missed it, we've already reviewed: Alex Murphy, Matt Jones, Semi Ojeleye
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