Justise Winslow
Statline: Wednesday, Feb. 4 vs. Georgia Tech: 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 36 minutes; Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. No. 10 Notre Dame: 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 31 minutes
The good: With 19 points and 11 rebounds, Winslow registered his third straight double-double Saturday afternoon when No. 4 Duke took down No. 10 Notre Dame 90-60. The freshman swingman also had a solid performance in the Blue Devils' narrow 72-66 win against Georgia Tech Wednesday. Finally healthy after playing through multiple injuries for most of January, Winslow's athleticism was on full display this week as he played with the aggression and energy that enabled him to put together several strong performances early in the season.
Although freshman center Jahlil Okafor leads the team in scoring and rebounding, Winslow is putting up great numbers and holding his own in his first season as a Blue Devil. The 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and two assists per game. If the Houston native can stay healthy and keep up these numbers for the rest of the season, he will continue to be a major factor for Duke going forward—especially if he continues attacking on both ends.
The bad: Although the team had a great outside shooting performance against the Fighting Irish Saturday, the Blue Devils only shot 27.8 percent against the Yellow Jackets Wednesday. Winslow hit his lone attempt from downtown, but in general has been erratic from beyond the arc. He is converting a respectable 36.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, and if that number can creep upward to the 40 percent mark then Winslow will be even more of a nightmare for opponents.
Winsow's two stellar performances this week were exactly what Krzyzewski imagined when the five-star recruit signed on to play in Durham, but these kind of performances have been too few and far between for the 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward. Winslow still needs to show his ability to be productive on a far more consistent basis if he hopes to help the team to a deep postseason run.
The bottom line: This may have been the most encouraging week of Winslow's freshman campaign—both his on-the-court performances and the mere fact that he appeared fully healthy. Duke has lost just three games this season and Winslow did not play particularly well in any of them, so he'll need to continue to play well going forward if the Blue Devils hope to continue riding their current momentum as they progress through ACC play.
Honorable mention: Okafor totaled 14 points against Georgia Tech, and added eight rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 33 minutes. Although he was plagued by foul trouble early in the game, the 6-foot-11 center managed to deliver a double-double against Notre Dame, totaling 20 points and adding 10 rebounds, one block and two steals in 23 minutes. Okafor has scored at least 10 points in every game this season, and continues to be able to affect a game in a multitude of ways even when he's not having his best night on the floor.
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