No Jalen Johnson, no problem.
After a slow 2-2 start of the season and with top 2020 recruit freshman Jalen Johnson sidelined due to injury, the Duke Blue Devils is in a dire need of another player to carry the team.
Sophomore forward Matthew Hurt scored a team-high 18 points, as freshman troika of DJ Steward, Jaemyn Brakefield and Jeremy Roch recorded a combined 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting to lift Duke Blue Devils over Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 75-65 at the ACC opener.
According to 247 Sports, Matthew Hurt ranked No. 12 in the 2019 class. He was the highest-rated recruit who returned to Duke for the succeeding season in more than 10 years. He was rated at .9957 but he knew, he had still more things to accomplish before becoming NBA-ready in the next years.
DJ Steward, one of the three freshmen who shone in their recent game, said that he did only what is best for the team.
"Just showing poise. Just letting the game come to us. We're freshmen so we go out there," Steward said.
The 6-foot-3 Steward held a stoplight for the Fighting Irish after orchestrating a 16-point and seven-rebound performance. First-year point guard Jeremy Roach added 14 points while freshman power forward Jaemyn Brakefield chipped in 10 markers for the Duke.
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No one was expecting the freshmen to be the stars of the match after coming out from the game with double-digit scores. However, they became more respected and recognized following a merged 60 percent field goal percentage.
In player efficiency, Jeremy Roach bannered his 5-out-of-6 shooting from the field. DJ Steward dropped six out of 11 baskets. Jaemyn Brakefield sunk 4-of-8.
The freshmen also rose to the court by contributing a handful of steals led by Steward with two. Roach and Brakefield had one apiece.
The defensive presence of Duke was boosted by the freshmen. While Jordan Goldwire and Mark Williams guarded the perimeter and the paint, Duke looked forward to becoming a defensive threat for the next battles.
"All three of them bring their own different skill set, and they have improved since day one, even after Illinois. Seeing them grow, seeing them getting better on the court whether it's a film, whether it's working with the coaches-it's just a really great sight to see," Matthew Hurt said.
In the second half, the Fighting Irish contested a close fight with a 34-31 finish which was not enough on their part.
Jaemyn Brakefield flashed his potential in the paint, and the Blue Devils wondered if he could fill Jalen Johnson's shoes in the meantime.
Jeremy Roach took the Duke on a stroll after he sank two three-pointers and layups. He was an unstoppable scorer, and the Fighting Irish could not slow him down at the very least.
Chicago-raised DJ Steward assured that he will be remembered after the game. The 19-year-old combo guard channeled his inner 'James Harden' after putting one Irish defender on skates with his stepback trey. He knocked down three treys on his four attempts.
His crucial and-one layup put the Duke in front of Notre Dame during the transition offense.
"This is a big win for [the team]. We're not any kind of juggernaut. We can be a good team, but in order to be a very good team, it's going to take some seasoning, because it's not like the teams we've had over the last number of years," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
If Duke wants to win more games after their holiday hiatus, the team should take chances of their small line-up to exploit their opponents' energy and force them into turnovers.
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