Duke basketball Player of the Week: Week 2

Jahlil Okafor

Statline: Nov. 26 vs. Furman: 24 points, 12-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks; Nov. 30 vs. Army: 21 points, 8-of-14 shooting, 5-of-9 free throws, eight rebounds, one block, one steal

The good: Just seven regular season games into his much anticipated freshmen year, Okafor has not yet failed to impress. The 6-foot-11 Chicago native received some of the most preseason hype in the nation, and right now he is living up to the expectations with an average of 17.7 points per game.

Okafor dropped a career-high 24 points in Duke’s dominant performance against Furman in which he demanded double teams in the post, allowing for other Blue Devils to stand open on the perimeter, and recorded his first career double-double. Okafor has hit 37 of 48 shots at Cameron Indoor in the first four games at home, giving the players, coaches and fans a lot confidence when the ball is in his hands.

The bad: There is not much to criticize in Okafor's performances from last week, as he got back on track with his field goal percentage after struggling in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. If there was an area for improvement, it would be that he only recorded three true assists in the two games, but his number of hockey assists or passes that led to assists would likely still be large. Nonetheless, against teams like No. 2 Wisconsin, Okafor might need to directly find teammates for shots himself more efficiently if opponents load up against him.

The bottom line: With a lot of effort focused on Okafor in an attempt to stop him from scoring in the paint, teams are forced to leave other players open outside, a strategy that has yet to work against Duke’s high-scoring shooters. Accustomed to the double- and triple-team pressure that he faced throughout his high school career, Okafor is always looking for players that are free out of the post. As long as shots aren’t being forced, the AP Preseason National Player of the Year will continue to be a facilitator and allow Duke’s offense to hit shots from all over the court, just as he did in the two games last week.

Honorable mention: Tyus Jones had 16 points against Army and continues to be the team leader and top five in the ACC in assists, averaging 6.0 per game. With seven against Furman and a season-high 10 assists against Army, Jones continues to work the starting point guard position well and swiftly spread the ball. The freshman duo that committed to Duke together, Okafor and Jones, combined for 37 of Duke’s 93 points against Army, fueling some exciting plays between the two such as Jones’ inbound alley-oop to Okafor off of a baseline out of bounds play.

The five-star freshman recruit was expected to compete with senior captain Quinn Cook for the starting point guard position, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski has moved Cook to shooting guard, a technique that has proven very effective so far. If Jones can consistently hit from the perimeter and spread the ball around like he ha early in the season, the Blue Devils' depth should keep paying dividends.