2021-22 Duke basketball Joey Baker Lawrence Law Davis III Spectacular Magazine
Sports

What to Know About Duke Basketball

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

Durham, NC – Duke basketball opened the season with a dominant win in an exhibition game against the Winston-Salem State University Rams. 

After opening the game on a 17-2 run, the Blue Devils used a 24-2 run to close the first half to give Duke the 63-13 advantage heading into the break.

Duke finished the game with a lopsided 106-38 victory against the Rams.

Duke basketball seems to be back to having Duke start with D and not in a spelling sense. This Blue Devil team pressed and rotated with aggression the entire day, forcing WSSU into 18 turnovers on the day.

Coach K’s squad looks to take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes and will push the tempo when necessary. 

Freshman guard Trevor Keels had a solid shooting performance, ending the game with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.

The inside combo of Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, and Theo John look to be a tough combo to match up with. The Duke basketball trio finished with 21, 14, and 6, respectively. Banchero also had a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 21 points.

Paolo Banchero Duke Lawrence Davis III Spectacular Magazine
Freshman forward Paolo Banchero (5) smiles while looking to make a pass against WSSU. (Credit: Lawrence Davis III/Spectacular Magazine)

Banchero seems to be the key guy in the Blue Devil offense. With a play style similar to NBA players such as Al Horford, Paul Millsap, or Kristaps Porziņģis where he is a very crafty big man on the inside. He has great body control and can finish over both shoulders.

His ability to be able to bring the ball up the court and also shoot the three-pointer is what separates his game. While his perimeter shooting isn’t currently at an NBA level, the Seattle-native can shoot well enough to be able to make the defense respect him. 

Freshman forward AJ Griffin (knee) saw a little bit of action after battling back from an offseason injury.

Wendell Moore Jr. and Joey Baker both finished the game with eight points.

Up next, Duke will travel to New York to face Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden to open the season. Tipoff is set for 9:30 pm.