Justise Winslow’s Recent Play Has Duke Surging Again
Posted by Brad Jenkins (@bradjenk) on February 11th, 2015Like many talented freshmen, Duke forward Justise Winslow has experienced some ups and downs in his rookie campaign. He started the year with a flurry of impressive games, scoring at least 14 points in each of the first five games of the season. After that came a less productive three-game stretch in which Winslow scored seven points or fewer each time out. Things then seemed to level off going into January, as he started ACC play strong before hitting the freshman wall and the entering a mini-slump. It now appears that slump is over, as Winslow has returned to playing well and aggressively, giving the Blue Devils a much-needed boost on both ends of the floor.
Winslow attacks the basket in Duke’s blowout win over Notre Dame. (Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun)
In last Saturday’s 90-60 rout over Notre Dame, Winslow was often the best player on the floor. Duke’s 81 percent shooting was the story of the first half — including a sizzling 7-of-8 performance from three — and Jahlil Okafor was the story of the second half, as the star big man finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Winslow, however, was consistently good all afternoon, scoring 19 points, grabbing 11 boards, and recording two blocks — one of which was quite impressive. Mike Krzyzewski is both aware and appreciative of the recently improved play of his third star rookie, who has now recorded double-figure rebounds in three of his last four outings. In the postgame, Krzyzewski said, “Justise [Winslow] has just played so well. He has really learned to play through his injuries. That’s the sign of a guy [who is] really growing up and becoming an outstanding player. You’ve got to play a little bit sore without talking about it and that is what he is doing.”
Monday night’s game at Florida State was not nearly as productive for Winslow, but he still found ways to help his team hang on for a tough road ACC win. After missing his first five field goal attempts, he hit an important three with just under seven minutes left to give the Blue Devils some breathing room. He also got to the foul line frequently, where he made 7-of-10 attempts that resulted in double-figure points for the fifth straight contest. The chart below shows just how dramatically different Winslow’s production has been before, during, and after hitting the “wall” in conference play.
Another developing story for Duke deals with how the team is adjusting to a rotation without junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon, recently dismissed for not living up to program standards. Since no one within the program has released any details on the dismissal, we are left to read between the lines. Listening to Kryzewski’s comments on Saturday, though, particularly when he was asked about the play of Matt Jones, may have given us a clue. The sophomore, who has been the beneficiary of increased minutes since Sulaimon’s departure, scored 15 points off the bench and was described by his coach as “the consummate team player.” Krzyzewski went on to say: “He has been a huge part of every game and giving us a better and tougher character. […] He is a great competitor all of the time. […] He gives everything. He puts his heart on the court. The guys love him and he is one of the easiest guys to play with. I feel so proud for him.” While Krzyzewski was talking specifically about the impact of Jones, it’s notable that the head coach never made similar public comments about the departed junior.
In the three post-Sulaimon contests, Jones has thrived, averaging 12.3 points per game on 14-of-27 shooting. He struggled offensively at Florida State but he drew a crucial defensive charge late in the second half, an effort that Krzyzewski evaluated as “the play of the game.” Jones has also improved Duke’s perimeter defense, giving better help to guards Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, resulting in fewer unmolested drives for opposing guards. As an example, Jerian Grant was held to seven points on Saturday, including a single first half point after torturing Duke to the tune of 23 points and 12 assists in Notre Dame’s previous win. Duke has gone through some major highs and lows this season — several huge road wins; two disturbing losses to mid-level ACC teams; Coach K’s 1,000th career win; the dismissal of Sulaimon. Though things look good now, it remains to be seen if this young squad has turned the maturity corner as it readies for the home stretch of the season, when Duke will face five top-half ACC teams in the Blue Devils’ last seven games.
