Film room: Transfer Sion James offers experience, versatility to Blue Devils

As basketball offseason continues, the Blue Zone is here to break down film from the new additions to both the men’s and women’s teams. On the men’s side, we’ve already looked at Kon Knueppel, Patrick Ngongba II, Isaiah Evans, Khaman Maluach, Cooper Flagg, Maliq Brown, Mason Gillis and Darren Harris. Next up is highly-ranked transfer Sion James:

Sion James comes to Durham as a part of a new-look Duke team headlined by transfers and 247 Sports’ No. 1 incoming freshman class. 

The 6-foot-6 guard joins head coach Jon Scheyer’s team as the Blue Devils’ highest ranked transfer, coming in as a graduate student after completing four years at Tulane. James proved himself a well-rounded contributor to the Green Wave, finishing his senior season with an average of 14 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. 

James figures to be a role player off of the bench in a crowded backcourt, slotting behind returning standouts Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster. He will likely have to adjust to fewer minutes in his new role, despite leading the AAC in minutes per game last season.

The Sugar Hill, Ga., native brings a scoring versatility that should allow him to appear consistently and efficiently. He possesses an ability to get buckets from anywhere on the court, especially from the left corner. 

He shot 38.1% from three last season, and as you can see in this second clip, the Southern Methodist defense is forced to respect James’s shot while he’s behind the 3-point line, giving him the ability to get downhill and make a tough layup.

Overall, the newcomer brings a high talent floor to Duke’s bench, and has the ability to impact the game positively in different ways every time he checks in.