Duke has become a 2-man team
Nobody is going to panic over a buzzer-beating road loss to a desperate Syracuse team on Wednesday, but there's a growing problem that Duke needs to address as the calendar flips to March.
Despite a roster full of top-level talent, the Blue Devils have evolved into a two-man team, and Grayson Allen is not one of those players.
Duke has officially become Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum's team, and that was on full display in the loss to the Orange in the raucous atmosphere of the Carrier Dome.
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tatum/Kennard | 42 | 20 | 11 |
| Rest of team | 33 | 16 | 5 |
This isn't just a one-game sample either, as three of the last four Duke games have evolved into the Kennard/Tatum show on the offensive end. The win over Virginia a week ago was the best example of the reliance upon the talented twosome.
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tatum/Kennard | 44 | 15 | 3 |
| Rest of team | 21 | 13 | 5 |
It was also clear in the Blue Devils' win over Clemson in the contest prior to Virginia.
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tatum/Kennard | 34 | 11 | 3 |
| Rest of team | 30 | 23 | 10 |
Whenever Duke is involved in a close game, it will only look to Kennard and Tatum to get the team over the hump.
It's clear Tatum and Kennard are the two most talented offensive players on the roster, especially with the slump that previous lead-dog Allen is currently mired in. The junior standout is averaging just eight points per game in the last four contests, over seven points less than his yearly average.
Meanwhile, star freshman Tatum is pulling off impressive drives such as this:
While also showing off impressive patience and range, as he did on this triple against the Orange:
Kennard's exploits as a scorer are well-founded, but the standout sophomore has taken it to a new level as of late. His deep-shooting is his best threat, but he's also become comfortable driving to the basket:
Duke won seven straight games heading into the contest with Syracuse, so don't expect Mike Krzyzewski to go bananas over the fact Tatum and Kennard are the Blue Devils' only offense right now.
However, expect the legendary coach to address the issue in the coming weeks with the NCAA Tournament looming. Duke fans know all too well what can happen when its top offensive threats are silenced in a one-game knockout.
The third-ranked Blue Devils fell in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament when leading-scorer Jabari Parker was held to just 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting against Mercer. Parker entered that contest having scored 15-plus points in 13 of Duke's previous 14 games.