Duke Basketball: Midseason Stock Watch for Blue Devils' Stars

Duke basketball fans may be among the most optimistic in the entire country, but even they couldn’t have imagined this type of start for the Blue Devils.

The team is off to a perfect 11-0 start and has won every single game by double digits. Included in those 11 victories are impressive showings against Michigan State, Temple, Stanford, Connecticut and at Wisconsin.

What’s more, the individual players have almost all surpassed expectations in the early going. Granted, conference play has yet to begin, and the most important games on the schedule are yet to come. But there is reason for optimism in Durham, North Carolina, right now. 

Here is a look at the midseason stock reports for some of the marquee players on the Blue Devils.

Jahlil Okafor: Stock Rising

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

The fact that Jahlil Okafor’s stock is rising even though it started arguably higher than any college player this season is a testament to how excellent he has been down low for the Blue Devils.

He is a walking double-double who is leading Duke in scoring with 18.3 points a night and rebounding with 8.8 a night. There was perhaps no better performance for anyone across the country than Okafor’s game against Elon, when he poured in 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds and saved his team in a game that it turned the ball over 17 times and shot 3-of-16 from three-point range.

Elon coach Matt Matheny highlighted the problem for most opponents against Okafor, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN): "We didn't know whether to double (Okafor) right away, double on the dribble, play one-on-one. He's a very, very difficult matchup."

When teams don’t double Okafor, he tears the opposing bigs apart on the blocks with his footwork and overall strength. When they do, he can hit the outside shooters with impressive and crisp passes and set his team up for efficient half-court looks.

Okafor is set to hear his name called first on NBA draft night. Stocks don’t get much higher than that.

Tyus Jones: Stock Steady

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Tyus Jones has not dominated in every single game for Duke and actually scored six points or fewer in five of his team’s 11 contests, but he has been the Blue Devils' best player in a couple of their biggest showdowns.

The most encouraging thing about Jones in the early going is that he has turned in his best games under the brightest lights.

Jones torched Wisconsin for 22 points and was not overwhelmed by the moment in the raucous Kohl Center. He also hit four of his five shots and all seven of his free throws on his way to 17 points against Michigan State and ended up with 21 points against Connecticut.

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Jones is the perfect pass-first point guard who is more than capable of scoring himself if needed for this talented Blue Devils squad. Perhaps most importantly, he has provided adequate perimeter defense, which was much-needed after last year’s struggles in that department for the Duke guards. 

Jones could very well hear his name called on draft day as well if he continues to turn in his best games against the best opponents.

Justise Winslow: Stock Falling but Only Slightly

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Justise Winslow was never supposed to be an offensive force for the Blue Devils this season, so the fact that he was one of the most productive players on that end of the floor in the early going was a welcome bonus.

That production has fallen off some, which is why his stock is dropping, but his defense is still in place. Ultimately, that is all that matters for this Duke squad that is so dependent on his versatility and ability to guard multiple players in one game.

Offensively, Winslow has scored in single figures in four of the last six games and has forced too many contested three-pointers. As long as he starts to attack the basket more in ACC play and continues to play lockdown defense, Winslow will be a critical component of the Blue Devils’ ACC title hopes.

Quinn Cook: Stock Skyrocketing

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While Okafor has been Duke’s best player and Jones saved the Blue Devils against the Badgers and impressed against the Spartans and Huskies, Quinn Cook has surpassed expectations more than anybody else.

Cook was the point guard who lost playing time last season because of his inability to stay in front of any ball-handler with an explosive first step, which crippled the Duke defense. There wasn’t much of a rim presence for the Blue Devils last season, so when Cook let his man blow by him off the dribble it led to easy layups throughout the season.

Rasheed Sulaimon started to take significant playing time from Cook down the stretch, and Jones was the point guard who was going to knock Cook even further out of the rotation this year.

So much for that.

Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

Cook still isn’t a dominant defender, but he has improved on that end with Jones and Winslow taking the more difficult matchups. What’s more, Cook’s ability to play shooting guard alongside Jones has boosted the offense because he has scored in double figures in every contest but one.

He is actually second on the Blue Devils in scoring (14.5 a night) behind only Okafor and has hit nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts. That type of shooting, with Okafor drawing double-teams down low, is critical for the flow of the offense.

Cook has also been Duke’s best free-throw shooter at 95.5 percent, which is important when the Blue Devils are trying to close out games. 

Cook has surpassed expectations by a significant amount. That is exactly what senior leaders are supposed to do.

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