Blue Devils take flight in exhibition
Duke runs through Lincoln (Pa.) in first chance to play
somebody other than themselves
(Photo by USA Today Sports)
DURHAM – Maybe stale is the wrong word for it. Duke’s players certainly aren’t going to say they dislike practicing against each other.
But there was some undeniable relief for the Blue Devils when they finally got to play an opponent other than teammates, which was Saturday’s 107-56 exhibition win over Lincoln (Pa.) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“Yeah, relieving is a good word, I think,” said freshman Kon Knueppel, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. “It’s definitely nice to go up against somebody else and get used to something else. Instead of guarding our own action, it makes it a whole lot tougher in practice.
“It was good to get out there against somebody else.”
Sure helps to win by 51, too.
Relief turned into some high-flying dunks and some high-octane shooting from the Blue Devils. Knueppel had a one-handed dunk over Ethan Garita early in the second half that you’ll see on highlight reels over the next week; fellow freshman Cooper Flagg had a couple of high-flying moments in the second half.
Flagg led Duke with 22 points, hitting a couple of 3s, dishing out six assists — three of those going to Knueppel on 3s in the first half. Knueppel was 5-for-9 on 3s, all of which were in the first half.
Junior guard Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting day. He echoed Knueppel’s sentiment that it was nice for a team that played pickup against itself throughout the summer and has been practicing and scrimmaging together for about a month was able to play different-colored jerseys.
“We’ve been going at it all summer, been playing pickup for a long time,” Proctor said. “So, it was great to just get out there and play with the guys, just get a feel of how we’re going to play this year.”
Granted, it was against a Division II team, how the Blue Devils are going to play looked dominant.
Duke was active defensively, turning defense (12 steals) into quick offense (19 fast-break points). It was also a deep rotation, with nine players hitting the court in the first seven minutes — but more on that below.
Here were some other important takeaways from Duke’s first exhibition game:
Flagg’s early learning moment
Flagg’s first few minutes were eventful with more good than bad, but also with two fouls that sent him to the bench for about 4½ minutes. He had two of each on the good side of things — two buckets, two assists, two blocks — in the first five minutes.
“I think it was just kind of happened in the moment, one of them. The handoff, I ran into the guy, just gotta jump-stop, I can’t just run into somebody,” Flagg told Devils Illustrated. “The other one, I’ve just gotta be in better position. I can’t be in a bad position and come down.”
The positive was Flagg reentering the game and playing another eight minutes in the first half without picking up a third foul, and not committing a foul in about 10 minutes on the court in the second half.
“He has great instincts, obviously, with how hard he plays,” coach Jon Scheyer said of his freshman phenom. “And then you add in his feel, he’s going to make some special plays. … I thought he was himself.
“I thought it was great for him to get a feel today.”
Cleaning up some things
It was a 51-point win that comes with plenty of teaching moments — always invaluable to a young team.
The Blue Devils didn’t like that they gave up 10 offensive rebounds, leading to seven second-chance points; nor was it a good sign that Lincoln had 20 points in the paint.
“Rebounding, defensive rotations. Just the little things we can clean up,” sophomore guard Caleb Foster said. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds and too many points in the paint. If we eliminate those, we win by even more, by way more.
“Those are two things that are going to cost us in big games if we don’t keep working.”
For starters …
Duke’s starting lineup was surprising — Flagg, Knueppel and Foster were expected. But instead of Proctor in the backcourt with Foster, it was Sion James starting; and instead of freshman 7-footer Khaman Maluach at center, it was transfer Maliq Brown at the 5-position.
Per Scheyer: Don’t read too much into it.
“We’re looking at different lineups, different rotations,” Scheyer said. “Getting a feel for a different team. Wouldn’t be surprised if we have a different starting group for next game, too.”
That next game will be next weekend’s charity exhibition against Arizona State.
It’s worth noting, though, how much depth Duke has. Scheyer had subbed in four players from his bench in the first seven minutes on Saturday; 5-star recruit Isaiah Evans didn’t enter the game until the second half.
“The guys that will end up playing are rewarded by what they do in practice,” Scheyer said. “It’s not going to be based on recruiting rankings, it’s not going to be based on mock drafts. … It’s based on what makes Duke the best right now and what you’ve earned.”
TIP-INS: Foster looked to suffer a minor left thumb/wrist injury in the first half. He went to the bench after an attempted steal and returned with tape around his thumb and wrist area. … Duke played 14 of its 15 players, with the only absence being freshman Patrick Ngongba II. Scheyer said he’s jumping a little bit but said there’s no timeframe for him to be playing as he recovers from a lingering foot injury. … Walk-ons Spencer Hubbard and Stanley Borden both scored in the last couple of minutes. … Duke had 25 assists on 37 field goals. … One of the referees was Trey Styons, the son of longtime ACC referee Raymie Styons, who died unexpectedly in August. On the right sleeve of Trey’s referee shirt was a green heart with “RS” stitched onto it.
