Top/Bottom Duke Players From Win Over Kentucky

Strong opening performance from Duke basketball vs. #3 Kentucky. Here is my breakdown of Duke players' performances with the full season in mind:

3 Who Looked Good:

Mason Plumlee - Showed signs of dominance. Very forceful in calling for the ball. This bodes well for a Coach K system that often has trouble generating post up opportunities for big men. 7 for 8 from the floor and 4 for 4 on Free Throws is a great sign (especially for a guy who shot 53% on FT's last year). He got into foul trouble but played under control for the most part. 5 fouls and 5 turnovers are not good stats, but these are things he should be able to get under control as the season progresses.

Rasheed Sulaimon - Early in the season you want to see your freshmen flash upside (because mistakes can be corrected). Sulaimon showed unusual quickness and assertiveness for a freshman, as well as a nose for creating opportunities off the dribble. By March he could very well be the guy that Duke counts on offensively to run their offense through and create off the dribble. He is not as polished a scorer as Austin Rivers when he came in last year, but Sulaimon showed that he could provide a similarly vital offensive piece but with a more unselfish and team friendly style.

Seth Curry - Showed an improved ability to create off the dribble. Still not a prototypical slasher, but he demonstrated that he can score by more than just knocking down open shots, which also bodes well for Duke's chances in March.

3 Who Looked Bad:

Quinn Cook  - I was hoping to see a guy that Duke could run their offense through. Instead he looked uninspired offensively. Maybe he ramps up midseason, but as of now he has stepped back. This leaves Sulaimon as my main hope for an offensive threat off the dribble to run Duke's offense through.

Amile Jefferson - Looked tentative. Mistakes can be corrected for the freshman but he didn't demonstrate much as far as upside. Hopefully he shows more in future action.

Alex Murphy - Apparently he hasn't practiced well enough to earn more than 2 minutes of playing time. And he was lackluster during those 2 minutes. I was hoping for more from a guy who earned the start in exhibition games both this year and last year.

3 Who Looked Ok:

Ryan Kelly  - Good confidence as you'd hope for from a senior. Didn't show much in regards to new skills in his repertoire this year.

Josh Hairston - Strong game from a guy with a limited skill set.

Tyler Thornton - Solid but I was hoping that he would follow a similar career trajectory to Wojo. Did not show much of a jump in the first game compared to his performance from last year.

Overall:
The guys they needed to look good looked really good vs. Kentucky (Plumlee, Curry, Sulaimon/Cook). Their Top 10 ranking is not purely due to Duke's track record since there is big upside for Duke basketball this year.