As the Blue Devils’ season comes to an end, the Blue Zone is here to break down every player’s performance this year, and compare it to our preseason predictions. First up is TJ Power:
TJ Power
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-9
Position: Forward
This year’s stat line: 2.1 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.2 APG, 6.7 MPG
The Blue Zone's projected stat line: 7.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 APG, 18.7 MPG
Season breakdown: TJ Power’s season was a story of sparse yet productive minutes. He mainly saw the floor during blowouts or when members of the starting frontcourt got in foul trouble. The biggest hurdle the Shrewsbury, Mass., native wasn’t able to clear in his quest for consistent playing time was his subpar defense, which will certainly be an area of focus during the offseason. On the offensive side, Power was billed as a bonafide three-level scorer with the ability to get buckets from anywhere on the court. This season, he was almost exclusively a 3-point shooter, with 42 of his 51 shot attempts on the year coming from behind the arc.
Power’s two best games this season came in dramatically different situations. His first impressive outing came in five minutes against La Salle, knocking down three triples in four attempts en route to a 95-66 blowout victory. At the end of the regular season, he had his second-best scoring effort in four minutes against North Carolina. He knocked down his only 3-point attempt, drained a tough layup and topped it off with two made free throws. Both field goals came in the last two minutes of a tight rivalry game.
Results relative to expectations: In retrospect, expecting Power to be a game in, game out rotational piece may have been a bit unfair. He entered Duke as a scorer, but the flaws in his game led him to quickly fall behind fellow forwards Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell and eventually Sean Stewart on the depth chart. From early on, it was clear his role would be to knock down threes and not much else. He was passable in his limited time on the floor and flashed the ability to become something more. Assuming he elects not to transfer, Power will return to the Blue Devils next year with a full campaign’s worth of college basketball and an offseason of improvement under his belt. Last year’s projection could come true, just a year later than planned.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.