After seven months without Duke men’s basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils were welcomed back with a memorable night of yo-yo performances, fiery player introductions and yes, insane displays of athleticism from freshman forward Zion Williamson, despite this year’s omission of the dunk contest. Let’s look at the top five plays from last night’s scrimmage:
5. Alex O’Connell’s fancy layup from Javin DeLaurier
Basketball’s not all about dunks and flashy passes, and Coach K will surely appreciate the sound fundamentals from this play. After picking up his dribble, junior forward Javin DeLaurier delivered a sharp bounce pass to the cutting sophomore guard Alex O’Connell, who avoided the block with a clever finish.
4. Tre Jones assist to Zion Williamson
Sure, the dunk was nice, but the pass was better. In a night in which freshman guard Tre Jones took control over directing the offense, the White team ran a textbook 3-on-2 fastbreak, concluding with Jones’ drive to the basket and dish to Williamson.
3. RJ Barrett dunk off Cam Reddish steal
Not to be left out of the dunk party, freshman forward R.J. Barrett got a chance to show off his own hops on this fast break. After fellow freshman forward Cam Reddish read the passing lane for a quick steal, he tightroped the sideline before dropping it off to Barrett for the sweet jam.
2. Zion Williamson’s block on RJ Barrett
The block technically didn’t count, but it was nevertheless incredible to watch. On a wild play, Barrett sent Jones to the floor with a behind-the-back move before Williamson jumped to the rafters to send Barrett’s shot out of bounds.
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1. Zion dunk compilation
Alright, this is definitely more than one play, but it’s more than worth the watch. Enjoy.