If there’s been a single, nagging issue for the Blue Devils this year, it has been a depleted lineup.
With Amile Jefferson already out indefinitely with a fractured right foot, Duke's rotation shrunk to six, occasionally seven players, forcing all of them to take on extended minutes. But when Matt Jones was ruled out for last weekend's game at Louisville and Derryck Thornton fell hard on his shoulder late against the Cardinals, the stage got even bigger for freshman Chase Jeter.
Both Jones and Thornton were back in the lineup Thursday against Florida State, but Jeter's role remained steady, as the Las Vegas native has seemingly carved out some more minutes for himself heading into the stretch run.
A healthier No. 15 Duke team and an emerging asset in Jeter take on Pittsburgh Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The freshman has put together his best two-game stretch of ACC play against the Cardinals and Seminoles—scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds—and his continued production could provide the Blue Devils with new lineup combinations and, just as importantly, more rest for the players that have shouldered the load throughout conference action.
“He can be huge for us in the minutes that he provides,” sophomore guard Grayson Allen said after Thursday's 80-65 win. “We know the type of player that he can be…. It’s much easier on Marshall [Plumlee] when Marshall gets out there and plays for [fewer minutes].”
Jeter arrived in Durham as the 11th-ranked prospect in his recruiting class, but was prone to early foul trouble when he got on the court. The Las Vegas native has racked up as many fouls as rebounds this year and, during a seven-game stretch, committed 15 fouls in 22 minutes.
The process of adjusting to the college game is nothing new for a freshman—Plumlee has blossomed into a double-double threat in his final season in Durham after averaging no more than 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in any prior season. The maturation process just takes time, and it seems as though Jeter may be figuring things out.
There were flashes of promise along the way. Jeter had four points and two rebounds in five minutes against Georgetown Nov. 22, picked up an emotional charge against Virginia Tech Jan. 9 and has cut down on his turnovers.
“He’s worked hard the whole year.... It just wasn’t there," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Thursday. "You get minutes by earning them, and in practice he’s earned them. He’s been a different kid the last three weeks."
Those little moments prepared Jeter for when the injury-riddled Blue Devils (21-7, 10-5 in the ACC) needed him most, as injuries threatened to sidetrack Duke's season. In 17 minutes against Louisville, he made his lone shot from the field, converted all three free-throw attempts and added an assist, a steal and two rebounds.
Then came Thursday against Florida State. Feeding off the energy of the crowd and his teammates, Jeter stood strong on defense and picked up two charges and a block in 12 minutes, without committing a foul. He also scored three points and grabbed five rebounds and left the court to chants of his name from the student section.
"Everybody’s got their own race...but what’s important is the team’s race," Jeter said. "We’re just going to focus on making this push here to end the season going into the ACC tournament."
Duke is greatly in need of more depth, and if Jeter can continue to play at a high level, it will be much-needed on the glass Sunday. The Panthers (19-8, 8-7) are the top rebounding team in the ACC, grabbing more than eight more boards per game than their opponents. Krzyzewski said Thursday that Jeter's recent play could enable the coaching staff to start experimenting with a two-big lineup again, putting the freshman and Plumlee on the floor at the same time.
Duke has significantly improved its rebounding of late, an area at first that was at first a major concern without Jefferson. Since being beaten on the glass in each game of their three-game losing streak back in January, the Blue Devils have outrebounded Louisville—the second-best rebounding team in the ACC—and Virginia, and kept close on the boards against the Cardinals when the teams played a second time.
The help on the glass has come from all over the floor. Allen—who continues to play with his usual aggressiveness and received a reprimand from the ACC Friday for tripping Florida State's Xavier Rathan-Mayes—has at least seven rebounds in two of his last four contests. Pittsburgh comes in outrebounding their last four opponents by an average of 15.2 boards per game.
Senior guard James Robinson—who has scored in double-figures the past four games—boasts the country’s best career assist-to-turnover ratio and spearheads a Panther offense ranked 28th nationally in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's efficiency index.
Earlier this season, Duke turned to a 2-3 zone to try to prevent fatigue and keep out of foul trouble, needing to keep its healthy and capable players on the floor as much as possible. The Blue Devils have returned to their typical man-to-man of late, knowing full well that they have Jeter available to continue his development when called upon Sunday in the Steel City.
"The last three weeks, it’s been there—and so his teammates get confidence in him," Krzyzewski said. "It’s not just you having confidence or a coach having confidence in him—when your teammates have confidence in you, [that makes a difference]."
Ryan Hoerger and Ali Wells contributed reporting.
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