Zion Williamson Dominates with 29 Points as RJ Barrett, Duke Rout St. John's

Taking a brief hiatus from ACC play, the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils added another signature victory to their resume by routing the St. John's Red Storm 91-61 Saturday.

At this point last season, Duke was in the midst of its most difficult stretch with three losses in four games. One of those defeats came at the hands of St. John's for the Red Storm to end an 11-game losing streak.

Zion Williamson was virtually unstoppable with 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting, six rebounds and tied his season high with five steals. RJ Barrett recorded his fourth double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. 

Cam Reddish had his best scoring day since Jan. 12 with 16 points by going 4-of-10 from three-point range. 

Zion Williamson Having Perfect Audition for NBA Draft

Barring something unforeseen happening, it would be an upset if Williamson wasn't taken first in the 2019 NBA draft. 

Despite being as close to a lock for that top pick as a college player can be at this point in the process, Williamson is still improving.

The first of these two highlights against St. John's shows his ball-handling prowess:

The bigger story for Williamson is how he's gotten comfortable shooting the ball away from the basket. He made a three-pointer midway through the first half when St. John's left him alone behind the line. 

Williamson has now made at least one three-pointer in eight of Duke's past 11 games (10-of-27 overall). B/R's Jonathan Wasserman noted how the Blue Devils star's ball-handling and shooting ability is progressing as this season has gone on:

"Converting 28.9 percent of his jump shots and 67.5 percent of his free throws, Williamson is far from a shooter, and the eye test suggests even those made threes could be fluky. Some of his misses have been way short or off.

"But compared to the other bigs outside of [Deandre] Ayton, Williamson is making more jump shots in college. And except for Simmons, we've seen [Karl-Anthony] Towns, [Joel] Embiid, [Blake] Griffin and [Anthony] Davis at least add mid-range shooting to their repertoires as pros.

"Williamson is also receiving more than three times as many spot-up possessions per game as [Ben] Simmons, Griffin, Towns, Embiid, Ayton and Davis did."

Simmons is a good comparison point for Williamson as a shooter. The Philadelphia 76ers star has never looked comfortable attempting jump shots, let alone making them a consistent part of his game despite urging from his teammates. 

Williamson still has plenty of work to do before an NBA team should trust him to play away from the basket, but the fact that he's taking more and making some right now is a great sign that his ceiling could continue to get higher. 

Tre Jones' Impact Extends the Beyond Box Score

In three games since returning from a shoulder injury, Tre Jones' stat line doesn't immediately stand out. The freshman has combined for 28 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds, while shooting 54.5 percent from the field. 

Saturday's game against St. John's was a perfect example of how Jones has become underrated because of the talent around him and his ability to change a game on defense. 

Shamorie Ponds is St. John's best offensive player. The junior guard entered Saturday averaging 20.9 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting. The Red Storm needed him to to play like a superstar to have a chance at beating the Blue Devils. 

With Jones serving as the primary defender against Ponds, the St. John's star went scoreless in the first half on five attempts and committed five turnovers. He was able to score 11 points in the second half after Duke blew the game wide-open. 

It's easy to get swept up in the majesty of head coach Mike Krzyzewski's offense. Williamson, Barrett and Reddish are as good as any scoring trio in the country. Their 60 combined points nearly matched St. John's entire offensive output. 

What makes the Blue Devils more than just an exciting novelty act is their ability on defense. They entered Saturday ranked fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency with 85.9 points allowed per 100 possessions, per TeamRankings.com.

Jones is Duke's leader on defense and has proved capable of shutting down some of the best scorers in the country. 

If Duke goes on to win a national championship, Jones' contribution on the defensive end shouldn't be overlooked. 

What's Next?

St. John's will end its three-game road trip Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET against No. 10 Marquette. Duke will return to ACC play Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET when Boston College comes to town.