Duke landed the top three prospects in the 2018 class in R.J Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish. Coming into the season, everyone had high expectations. The Blue Devils were fun to watch all season ranging from electrifying dunks from Williamson to Reddish’s thrilling buzzer-beater against Florida State.
After winning the ACC tournament, Duke earned the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils cruised to an 85-62 win over North Dakota State in the first round. Duke’s next three games were all decided by two points or less. Free throws are crucial down the stretch and as a team, the Blue Devils shot 69% from the line. Coach K’s squad was bounced out of the tournament by Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
Duke’s top three freshmen have now been drafted into the NBA and I will breakdown the areas of their game they need to improve on.
Cam Reddish, SF 6’8″
Drafted 10th by the Atlanta Hawks
College stats: 13.5 ppg, 3.7 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.6 stl, 35.6% FG, 33% 3PT
Weaknesses:
- Consistency
- Decision-making while driving to the hoop
- Rebounding
Cam Reddish didn’t have a great season at Duke and was probably Duke’s worst freshman on the team. Part of it was because he played with the top two prospects and was overshadowed averaging only 12 shot attempts. R.J Barrett was ball dominant and Zion Williamson was too efficient from the floor. Reddish was also inconsistent and when Duke needed perimeter shooting he didn’t deliver. Maybe playing in the pros would help him to find his rhythm.
Reddish could improve on his decision-making when he’s driving in the lane. There were too many times when Reddish would drive and get called for a charging foul. This would lead to Reddish being in foul trouble and he would disappear in games sitting on the bench.
Standing 6’8″ and measuring with a 7’1″ wingspan, I thought Reddish could’ve been a better rebounder. He averaged only 3.7 rebounds and his 6’1″ teammate Tre Jones averaged just as many boards.
R.J. Barrett, SG 6’7″
Drafted 2nd by the New York Knicks
College Stats: 22.6 ppg, 7.6 reb, 4.3 ast, 45.4% FG, 30.8% 3PT
Weaknesses:
- Shot selection
- Free-throw shooting
- Defense
R.J. Barrett was a dominant guard who didn’t hesitate to take a shot. Barrett can finish through contact and shoot off the dribble. His shot selection was questionable especially when Jones and Williamson went down with injuries. Barrett forced the issue by chucking up threes and he only shot a poor 30.8% from deep. In New York, Barrett is going to have the ball in his hands a lot and if he improves his shot selection, he can put his team in a better position in games.
Free-throw shooting is another crutch for Barrett as he shot 66.5%. Barrett choked at the line late in games missing both free throws against North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinal despite the win. As well as missing a free throw to tie in the Elite Eight in the loss against Michigan State. Free-throws is the easiest way to score and you look at a player like James Harden who averaged 36.1 points per game this past season. A quarter of his points came from free throws. Once Barrett shoots better from the line, the more Coach Fizdale would be comfortable with Barrett being on the floor late in games.
Defensively R.J Barrett could better especially in transition. There were many times when Barrett wouldn’t hustle back on defense after a turnover when he was in a good position. Improving on the defensive side will make R.J. Barrett a more well-rounded player.
Zion Williamson, SF/PF 6’7″
Drafted 1st by the New Orleans Pelicans
College Stats: 22.6 ppg, 8.9 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.1 stl, 1.8 blk, 68% FG, 33.8% 3PT
Weaknesses:
- Shooting/Shooting off the dribble
- Driving and finishing with his right
- Free-throw shooting
Zion Williamson was unstoppable this past season as a Blue Devil. Individually, he lived up to the hype with his high-flying dunks and his energy. It seems like Williamson can do it all but he isn’t perfect.
Shooting is a weakness in Zion’s game as teams would leave him wide open from three. Every once in a while, he would knock them down. I saw some improvement with his stroke especially in the NCAA tournament as he shot 7-17 from behind the arc.
Shooting off the dribble is another thing Zion needs to add to his arsenal. In the NBA, teams are expecting him to drive and if Williamson can develop a mid-range game, his offensive skills will be polished.
The floor will open up if Zion can learn to drive and finish with his right hand. The times I saw him blow by a defender on the right side of the court, he would finish with his left hand. The ability to finish with either hand is a great skill because you can drive on any side of the court.
Just like R.J. Barrett, Zion needs to improve his free-throw shooting. Especially, that majority of his points are in the paint and he’s more likely to get fouled. You never want to leave points on the board and that’s what Zion did at Duke.
Photo credits: (Twitter) (Grizzly Bear Blues) (ESPN) (SoaringdownSouth)