Zoubek's Importance Bigger Than He Is

When a person looks at the Duke starting line-up it is obvious who the standout players are. They are Duke's big three Scheyer, Singler, and Smith. Their numbers by far tower over any other player's on the squad. But a closer look allows us to see that Brian Zoubek may have the largest role of all.

Since the Sheldon Williams era Duke has not seen that big man presence down low that is so key for any championship team to have. Finally, in his senior year season Brian Zoubek has reached a point where his abilities and size can change the game and shift the momentum. 

His numbers aren't golden. 5.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and .7 blocks per game. This is throughout the entire season though. In the past 10 games alone Zoubek's numbers have nearly doubled, and he is certainly looking like that big man that Duke has missed for so long. Not to mention he has the ability to match up with almost any other great center due to his size. Lance Thomas couldn't cut it anymore as the Blue Devils' primary big man defender. 

Zoubek also has the outstanding ability to make the players around him better. With his improved performance over the past weeks, teams have been doubling down on the big guy, allowing Zoubek to dish it back out for the sweet 3 ball that Duke loves so much. Guys like Lance Thomas and Miles Plumlee have also benefited from Zoubek's presence. When it's taking two guys to box out Zoubek these guys get the easy offensive rebounds and have themselves a simple lay up. 

I'm not saying that Zoubek is any where close to being a great player. His game still does have many flaws. But it's easy to see that his role on Duke's team is of great importance.