Trevon Duval
- Year: Freshman
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Position: Guard
- This year's stat line: 10.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, 2.0 RPG
- The Blue Zone's projected stat line: 9.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.2 RPG
Season breakdown:
Duval showed flashes of brilliance this season, but was largely underwhelming due to his inconsistency.
While Duval had his bright spots and took more control of the offense in the NCAA tournament, his struggles derailed Duke's offense at times this season. The freshman point guard was a turnover machine for most of conference play and lost his starting job for a stretch. He also drew the ire of Blue Devil fans when he retweeted a clip of his own flashy dunk just minutes after Duke lost to North Carolina Feb. 8.
Duval was by far the worst regular at shooting from deep, but still took the third-most 3-point tries on the team, behind just Grayson Allen and Gary Trent Jr. He abandoned his best skill—his ability to drive to the basket—at times, keeping him from reaching his full potential.
This isn't to say Duval's season was a disaster—he certainly had his bright spots. He led the Blue Devils with 20 points against Kansas in the Elite Eight, probably the only thing that kept them in the game. At the beginning of the season, he looked like the true point guard Duke had been searching for, dishing out two double-doubles in his first three games, including a 17-point, 10-assist effort in a win against then-No. 2 Michigan State.
Overall, Duval was an effective point guard at times for the Blue Devils, but fell far short of his potential.
Results relative to expectations:
Coming into the season, Duval was hailed as the true point guard that could be the final piece in the puzzle for a squad with championship aspirations. Instead, he looked nothing like the No. 1 point guard in his recruiting class for much of the season.
While Duval was never expected to be a difference-maker from beyond the arc, he squandered his elite athleticism at times with his poor decision-making. Duval will likely leave Durham for the NBA Draft after one season, but with his stock much depleted from where it was heading into the season.
Check back tomorrow for a review of Justin Robinson's season. The Blue Zone has already reviewed Grayson Allen, Marvin Bagley III, Marques Bolden, Wendell Carter Jr., Javin DeLaurier, Alex O'Connell and Jordan Goldwire's campaigns.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.