Basketball

No Zion, RJ or Cam Means More Balance for Duke


Standing in a corner of the victorious locker room at Madison Square Garden late Thursday night, RJ Barrett laughed and talked to Tre Jones and Joey Baker, two former Duke teammates.

The No. 1 Blue Devils had just disposed of California in the 2K Empire Classic to set up a Friday night game against Georgetown, and Barrett was enjoying the moment with old friends after watching from courtside. Barrett and his new team, the Knicks, had the night off.

While Barrett and his former Duke teammates Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish all became top 10 N.B.A. draft picks in June, the Blue Devils don’t currently have any players projected to go that high in the draft next year. Yet, this Duke team may be better defensively, and it’s still finding success on offense.

“I think we have more balance across the board,” Baker, a sophomore forward, said in the locker room after Thursday’s win. “RJ and Zion and that team last year, it was obviously a great team, but I think it’s the complete opposite. We have a whole team that can go and get after it defensively, and we’re going to rotate bodies at you and try and wear you out.”

Williamson was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 1. The Knicks took Barrett at No. 3, and Reddish went to the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick. Duke reloaded with another top recruiting class and had several key returnees, most notably Jones, the sophomore point guard. After beating Georgetown, 81-73, on Friday night, Duke improved to 6-0, including a win against Kansas to open the season.

The freshman big man Vernon Carey Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Patrick Ewing’s Hoyas one night after putting up 31 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in the win over California.

Duke now has three wins at the Garden this season — as many as the Knicks. Barrett, whose N.B.A. team is struggling at 4-11 to start the season, said his college team is fun to watch.

“Everybody’s locked in, everybody’s a part of it and it’s great to see them all working together,” Barrett said.

Last season, Duke primarily relied on Williamson’s highlight-reel dunks and jaw-dropping power moves to the basket, as the rest of the basketball world awaited his inevitable move to the pros. Barrett, the smooth Canadian left-hander, had his share of highlights while playing second fiddle, and Reddish was a distant third star.

With Williamson and Barrett each averaging 22.6 points, the trio accounted for two-thirds of Duke’s scoring.

This season, Carey Jr. leads the team at 18.3 points per game, while Jones (14.8) and the freshman Cassius Stanley (14.0) also score in double figures. Another freshman, Wendell Moore, scored 17 against Georgetown.

“Every guy every single night is doing something,” Jones said. “We have much more depth this year and a lot more guys that have a lot more to do with the team.”

At 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds, Carey, the son of the former N.F.L. offensive lineman Vernon Carey, has the potential to break out for Duke, but nothing will compare to the attention Williamson got last year.

“Vernon’s a beast. He’s a beast,” Barrett said. “I like what I see out there.”

Barrett said Duke’s team this season is better defensively than his team was. Though it’s early, Duke has allowed 60.5 points per game, below its average of 67.8 points allowed last season.

“They hawk the ball,” Barrett said, adding: “I love to see their tenacity on defense.”

Duke was the favorite in March to win the N.C.A.A. championship but came up short of the Final Four, falling to Michigan State in a regional final.

Since college teams like Kentucky and Duke began building around one-and-done players a decade ago, only two teams using that recruiting style as a primary strategy have won an N.C.A.A. title: Kentucky in 2012 and Duke in 2015. Each of those championship teams had older players to provide balance and leadership.

So does this Duke team in Jones, junior Alex O’Connell and seniors Javin DeLaurier and Jack White.

There are star freshmen, but no superstars like last year — and Duke is doing just fine.



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