Jon Scheyer was not pleased after Duke’s 70-48 win against Seattle last Friday.
“I wasn't really happy with much tonight, to be honest with you,” he said afterwards.
His criticisms included the team playing soft, poor shot selection and way too many fouls. The stats backed Scheyer up. The Blue Devils committed 13 turnovers, 22 fouls and shot 39.7% from the field (27.8% from deep).
However, Duke completely flipped those numbers on their head in its 84-78 win Wednesday night against Auburn; Scheyer’s team recorded only four turnovers and 14 total fouls.
Yes, it obviously doesn’t hurt to have freshman Isaiah Evans be unconscious from deep in the first half, but the real reason behind this win is that every Blue Devil played within their roles. And what happens when everybody plays to their strengths is the team doesn’t force things, the offense flows smoothly and the defense is a juggernaut.
Duke has a blend of veteran experience and newcomer talent that has gelled fairly well to start, but the game against the Tigers took that to a whole new level. Nobody tried to do too much. Rather, it was a collective toughness that illustrated unselfishness and a greater understanding of what it takes to win.
“I really thought that our guys were tough as could be,” Scheyer said. "Just a special, special performance and a special moment when we needed them and so proud of our team.”
Let’s start with Evans. The 6-foot-6 freshman had the game of his life, scoring 18 points in his first big-game experience of the season. His high release makes his shot extremely difficult to defend, even in close-guarding situations.
But Evans illustrated that he can be more than a shooter, saving a loose-ball rebound from going out of bounds in the first half, and that outlet pass led to his second 3-pointer of the half. He also dove on the floor to force a jump ball in the second half. Scheyer has seen that defensive effort come out in practice.
“The attitude that he's had every day in practice coming up to the coaches not working on shooting, believe it or not, wanting to work on his defense, on his rebounding, understanding rotations and coverages,” Scheyer said. “[He had] amazing courage in this game to come in and do what he did. I don't know if I've been a part of something like that in my years.”
Perhaps the epitome of playing his role is Maliq Brown. The Syracuse transfer has been a staple on the defensive end, recording myriad deflections and locking up one of the best players in the country in Johni Broome. Broome was held to 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, a product of Brown forcing tough shots.
“I just wanted to come off the bench and bring a spark, just knowing that I didn't want to give [Broome] any easy baskets,” Brown said.
Broome would often set off-ball screens on a cutting guard, and on multiple occasions, Brown stayed home and deflected a pass to prevent a wide-open layup. Even when Brown switched on to smaller players like Chad Baker-Mazara, the former ACC Defensive Player of the Year got his hands on the ball.
“Maliq, at 6-foot-9, has the best hands I've ever coached … he just has a way to get deflections and come up with the ball,” Scheyer said. “Every game, we just tell him to go do what you do. And for [Maliq], that means deflections, that means guarding everybody, rebounding. Guys love playing with him.”
Another transfer, Sion James, started for the first time this season. The opening sequence of the second half showed what makes James an essential piece to Duke.
It started with a fast-break and-one dunk. Then, he skied to tip a rebound, eventually coming down with it and earning another trip to the line. A couple possessions later, he rebounded a Cooper Flagg miss and slammed it home — compiling an impressive statline of nine points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks, the second of which denied Denver Jones a layup with one minute remaining.
The rest of the guard room also showcased its diversity of strengths.
Caleb Foster is probably the craftiest finisher of the bunch. Despite coming off the bench for the first time this season, he had arguably his best big game, consistently pushing the pace and driving with intentionality.
In the first half, he recorded an up-and-under finish over Broome, and he finished with 11 points on the night. The sophomore guard was a key reason Duke outscored Auburn 16-0 in fast-break points.
Tyrese Proctor — at 46.3% from deep — is shooting as good as anyone on this team. The biggest one of the night, and maybe his Blue Devil career, came with 4:38 left and a two-point game. Flagg’s shot was blocked, but Proctor corralled the rebound with two seconds left on the shot clock. He set his feet and fired from 30-feet; nothing but net.
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“I shoot them all the time … we had individual workouts, [I was] just throwing them up from all different spots,” Proctor said. “I'm ready for the moment, and I'm glad it went in.”
But he is not limited to deep shots, as his signature 7-footer turnaround fadeaway gave the Blue Devils a 77-70 lead with three minutes remaining. These shots and defensive tenacity are Proctor’s bread and butter.
Even Kon Knueppel, who only attempted three shots in the evening, made two impressive layups due to his body control and finishing ability. His simple presence as a 3-point threat spaced the floor and opened driving lanes for the likes of Flagg, Foster and Proctor. In addition, Knueppel has demonstrated his prowess as a facilitator, as he and Flagg have a virtually unstoppable pick-and-roll game.
And speaking of him, Flagg.
From kicking off Duke’s scoring with a tough and-one over center Dylan Cardwell to clinching the game with a series of free throws, Flagg did it all. Whenever Duke needed a big bucket, No. 2 came to the rescue.
Flagg is becoming comfortable finding his spots on the floor, more often than not a 12- or 18-foot turnaround jumper from either the short corner or the high post. The Newport, Maine, native also dominated on the glass, recording 11 rebounds. His passing ability is perhaps his most underrated asset, whipping the ball across the court for open players.
“For Cooper to have no turnovers and to have 22, 11 and four [assists] as a 17-year-old. I'm not sure how many 17-year-olds could play in this game, let alone do what he did,” Scheyer said.
Roles aren’t fixed — they can change at times — but it’s clear that every player is understanding how their piece fits into the Duke basketball puzzle. And once it all comes together, it's hard to stop.
The Blue Devils will take on Louisville to start their ACC slate Sunday at 6 p.m.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.