Even if the stat line doesn’t jump off the page, freshman point guard Cayden Boozer proved why he belongs in a deep guard rotation for head coach Jon Scheyer Tuesday night. Boozer demonstrated outstanding potential as a facilitator and an offensive spark going forward. The Miami native put the offense on his back partway through the second half, hitting from beyond the arc to put the Blue Devils up 10 and then driving to the basket twice to keep the Jayhawks from eating into the lead. All seven of his points came in a fleeting critical moment, but he was a floor general for all 24 of his minutes: he led the charge in breaking down head coach Bill Self’s full-court press and made the right passes to set up the frontcourt for open layups. His ability to catalyze the nascent offense gave him a team-high +17 plus/minus. The freshman plays beyond his years already, and as he matures on the defensive end, he appears primed to become a glue guy for Duke in the coming months.
Several words come to mind: promising, dynamic and occasionally disjointed, especially in the opening minutes. All are the consequence of a brand new starting lineup playing at the highest level of college basketball in November. Forward Cameron Boozer fought through double teams throughout the outing and shot 41.2% from the field, nearly half of the 81.3% mark he notched against Indiana State Friday evening. However, the star freshman still led the team in points, rebounds and assists, showing Madison Square Garden why he sits atop draft boards across the country. The defense fell victim to the Jayhawks early, giving up 11 fast-break points in the first 20 minutes of action, but Duke adjusted and held Kansas to just one basket in transition in the second half. There do remain question marks and unforced errors: the Blue Devils turned the ball over eight times and was outscored in both the paint and on the fast break. Those errors began to subside as Duke found a rhythm in the second half, though — something Blue Devil fans can only hope the team continues to do as the season picks up.
One stat: 26.9% from three
Though frontcount members Patrick Ngongba II and Cameron Boozer had strong scoring games, the interior defense struggled as Duke trailed in paint points early. Kansas shot an abysmal 19% from beyond the arc, but the Blue Devils didn’t do much better, cashing in on just 26.9% of 26 attempts from beyond the arc. Bill Self will almost certainly not be the only coach to double-team Boozer this season, so open shots around the perimeter will be crucial to the Duke offense this season. Sophomore sharpshooter Isaiah Evans did his part by shooting 3-of-7 from deep, including a dagger as the shot clock expired in the second half; his teammates will have to match his pace to draw defenses off of Boozer and open up more opportunities to score.
