Scheyer Picks Up Slack For Dukies

This entire season has been a real surprise for me. I was expecting "All-American" Kyle Singler to blow opponents away with his leadership and offensive abilities... All I've been able to get out of this season so far is a "SURPRISE!"

It isn't Singler who has led the Blue Devils, but rather last year's Gatorade X-Factor Jon Scheyer. Scheyer has stepped up his game in every aspect of basketball to make him more mentionable for an All-American honoree than Singler.

With 20 points per 40 minutes for Scheyer, that isn't what's made him so spectacular. Earlier in the year, Jon's assist/turnover ratio was off the charts, at a ridiculous 6.1. The leader in the NBA was at a 4.6 or so. Now that Scheyer has cooled off, he's learning to score more efficiently.

20 points a game is pretty good in the NCAA. Kyle Singler is scoring at 15 points per game, and 3 assists. Scheyer is at 6. The only category that Singler defeats Jon in is rebounds, but that's not a worry for Coach K because Singler has more of a chance to hang around down low rather than staying on the perimeter 80% of the time.

When Kyle Singler became a preseason All-American, I was expecting something big. He's been a disappointment, though. Shooting only 40 or 41% from the field isn't going to cut it for the Devils. The Blue Devils need all the help they can get from the 3 point arc. He's shooting about 32% from downtown, another big disappointment.

One thing Singler needs to work on is his shot selection. He's putting up balls that are six-ten feet beyond the NBA mark: too far for his distance. He needs to pull the reigns a bit and start cutting his shots down by 15% or so.

With Singler's inconsistency of scoring, you can't just depend on your post, Brian Zoubek, the Plumlee Brothers, and Lance Thomas to just vacuum the ball up like nobody else can get it. They do have an opposition that tries to get the ball, too.

One thing that I have noticed this season as I've watched to Devils is that Scheyer just outsmarts the other teams. He makes quick, efficient decisions that the NBA's top defenders may not even be able to catch up to. He's taking over the team with leadership and he knows how to win.

Singler may be able to pick up his game in ACC play, but he needs to find it quickly or else Duke is in for another disappointing end to their season come March when all they have is four players on the floor with a once-All-American who tried all season to 'do his best.' Yeah, right! That can't happen!

Bring in Andre Dawkins, the freshman, for Singler if Singler isn't producing. He's shooting 44% from beyond the arc, a team high. He can shoot the lights out! Don't believe me? If you have access to watch the Duke/Wisconsin game a couple months back, Dawkins scored all twelve of his points in the last 2 and a half minutes of the game.

Dawkins is a saint off the bench. He needs more minutes with lack of effort and lack of energy on the floor. Duke's schedule isn't gonna get any easier soon. Actually, probably for the rest of the season... You just never know how these ACC matchups play out.

Jon Scheyer needs to keep the tempo of basketball he's playing at right now. Without his mentality and skill on the court, the Dukies struggle. And that's why he plays 36 minutes a game. Scheyer's a player, and that's what college basketball is all about.