Duke basketball Player of the Week: Week 15

Justise Winslow

Statline: Wednesday vs. Virginia Tech: 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 1-of-3 from 3-point range, one offensive rebound, seven rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 39 minutes. Saturday vs. Syracuse: 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 3-of-5 from 3-point range, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 40 minutes.

The good: During a crucial part of the season, freshman forward Justise Winslow has stepped up and displayed his athleticism this past week both on the road and within the comfort of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Scoring a career-high 23 points Saturday against Syracuse, Winslow soared in front of a packed stadium, putting away alley-oops and 3-point shots to help lead Duke to a 73-54 victory. The Houston native has now dropped double figures in his past 10 games—shooting 53.7 percent during this stretch—a marked improvement from his 39.5 percent clip in nine January games.

The bad: Despite his reputation as an aggressive slasher, Winslow was unable to get to the line with any kind of frequency this week. He attempted just two free throws in the pair of games—missing both—and is shooting just more than 60 percent from the charity stripe for the year. Should Winslow face a shooting slump in the coming games, it's important that he be able to get points from the free throw line and contribute other ways offensively.

Injuries can break a team, and with an eight-man roster after the departure of Rasheed Sulaimon, Winslow has begun to see added minutes on the court. Jahlil Okafor has been playing on an injured ankle, while Winslow has been playing with a fractured rib. After the Syracuse game, senior captain Quinn Cook joined the injury list with a hurt ankle. With the ACC tournament less than two weeks away, the stability of the Blue Devils becomes more and more important as every player looks to be 100 percent during the game.

The bottom line: Winslow finally appears to be hitting his stride and finding his groove on the offensive end of the floor. Defense has certainly been the weakest link for the team, but if Winslow and the rest of the squad can continue their offensive hot streak while holding teams to 30.6 percent shooting like they did to Syracuse, it is likely that more wins could be coming their way.

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Honorable mention: After sitting out a game against Clemson, Jahlil Okafor was immediately back at it against Virginia Tech. On top of bringing his usual energy and strength offensively into the paint, Okafor posted a career-high 30 points while shooting 13-of-18 and snagging seven offensive rebounds. Although free throws have consistently been a problem for the freshman, he still managed to put up 14 points against Syracuse despite a 1-of-7 performance from the line. Whether the opponent puts one, two or even three men on Okafor, he somehow finds his way through the cracks to gracefully put the ball in the hoop while working together with his teammates to draw defenders and move the ball around the field.