This Small Clip Offers Some Big Insights Into This Year’s Duke Basketball Team

Last season marked the beginning of Jon Scheyer’s tenure as the head coach of Duke Basketball. With only two players returning from Mike Krzyzewski’s final team, there was a lot of work to be done. However, we started to catch a glimpse of Scheyer’s vision for the team.

Fast forward to his second year, and the landscape has significantly changed. Scheyer now has a team predominantly composed of his recruits, and they are inching closer to his desired style of play.

One key aspect Scheyer has prioritized is having sharpshooters on his roster. In fact, nearly every player on the Duke team has the ability to shoot the ball. This short clip, found here, provides valuable insight into Scheyer’s strategic approach.

In our view, passing is where the artistry of offensive basketball truly lies. Take a look at this particular sequence:

Jared McCain initiates the play by passing to Ryan Young, who promptly dribbles once and then delivers a pass to Tyrese Proctor. Proctor dribbles a couple of times before passing to a cutting Young, who then passes the ball back out to Jeremy Roach in the corner. Roach swiftly whips the ball over to McCain, who instantly returns the pass to Proctor. Proctor drills a three-pointer.

There are two noteworthy observations here: 1) The ball moves with remarkable speed, barely making contact with the floor, and 2) despite the defenders knowing the offense’s intentions, they are unable to thwart the play.

Considering the extraordinary shooting prowess of Scheyer’s assembled team, if they can replicate this type of ball movement during games, Duke will be an incredibly potent and dangerous force on the court.