Duke player power rankings: The Zion show rolls on
Zion Williamson records 26 points and nine rebounds as Duke comes into South Bend and wins by a large margin over Notre Dame. (1:47)
The Duke Blue Devils have won four in row since suffering a home loss to Syracuse on Jan. 14. And the fanfare around this team continues to grow.
Below is another round of fun and not-too-serious power rankings of the Blue Devils players. But first, here are last week’s rankings (minimum 15 minutes per game averaged this season):
1. Zion Williamson (42 ranking points)
2. RJ Barrett (36)
3. Tre Jones (33)
4. Cam Reddish (29)
5. Jack White (24)
6. Marques Bolden (21)
7. Javin DeLaurier (16)
Next up? On Saturday, Duke will face St. John’s at home (noon ET, ESPN).
1. Zion Williamson (42 ranking points)
Raw stats (+10): He has averaged 24.3 points over the last three games. These kids are scared of him. I don’t blame them.
Advanced stats (+10): Georgia Tech and Pitt averaged just 78 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. Translation: Yes, New York Knicks, you should tank for him.
Eye test (+10): In a win over Notre Dame, he blocked two shots and guarded multiple players on the same possession. Somehow, Williamson is all of the Power Rangers in one.
Other stuff (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+10): Midway through the first half against Notre Dame, he started in the post, moved to the perimeter, took a dribble handoff from Jack White, drove to the rim and finished with a finger roll.
Extra point (+1): He grabbed an offensive rebound over four players in the second half of the win over Notre Dame on Saturday. And they were all looking around like, “I thought you had it.”
Another extra point (+1): In the second half against Pitt earlier this month, he got a steal and dunked just a foot inside the free throw line. He made it look easy. Yes, Knicks, keep tanking.
2. RJ Barrett (34 points)
Raw stats (+9): He has made 39 percent of his 3-pointers in his past three games. That’s bad news for every opponent.
Advanced stats (+8): He made 64 percent of his shots at the rim against Pitt, per hoop-math.com.
Eye test (+9): In the NBA, you have to hit contested shots. And Barrett drilled a 3-pointer with a hand in his face in the first half against Notre Dame. He’s a star.
Other criteria (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+8): He had 11 rebounds against Georgia Tech on Saturday.
3. Tre Jones (34 points)
Raw stats (+8): He has recorded nine assists and two turnovers in the two games since his shoulder injury.
Advanced stats (+9): When he was on the floor against Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets scored just 64 points per 100 possessions.
Eye test (+8): He’s a two-way force who stabilizes this team. Clearly.
Other criteria (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+9): In the first half against Notre Dame, he missed a shot but stayed with the play and hit a 3-pointer from the corner. High basketball IQ.
4. Cam Reddish (27 points)
Raw stats (+7): He’s a key role player. He finished with seven points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals in Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech.
Advanced stats (+7): But the team averaged a subpar .93 points per possession with him on the floor against Georgia Tech.
Eye test (+7): Like someone who left the house to grab the mail in Minnesota this week, he’s cold right now. But he hasn’t lost any confidence.
Other criteria (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+7): He has recorded 11 steals in the past four games.
One-point deduction (-1): The shots aren’t falling. That’s something he has to correct going forward. He’s 12-for-52 in the past four games.
5. Marques Bolden (24 points)
Raw stats (+6): Refreshing effort against Notre Dame (eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks).
Advanced stats (+6): He made 75 percent of his shots at the rim against Notre Dame on Saturday, per hoop-math.com.
Eye test (+6): He’s playing with more aggression. Duke needs that.
Other criteria (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+6): Did you see him dunk off the pick-and-roll with Barrett in the first half against Pitt? Lookin’ like Moses Malone out there, boy!
6. Jack White (20 points)
Raw stats (+5): He has gone scoreless in the past two games.
Advanced stats (+5): He has scored only four points total in the past three games, but he’s had a KenPom.com offensive rating over 90 in two of the three games. Jack White matters.
Eye test (+5): Whether he plays 10 minutes or 30, he competes with the same intensity.
Other criteria (impressive moments, hustle plays) (+5): He had a pretty tip-in against Pitt. You don’t have to be the star all the time to make an impact.
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