DURHAM — There’s a fact that can get lost in how talented the Duke basketball roster is this season.
The Blue Devils are 152nd in Division I experience, according to KenPom.com. Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach have been three of the Blue Devils’ five starters in each of the first 10 games this season.
All of those guys, as head coach Jon Scheyer pointed out, are being scouted and attacked in different ways for the first time as college players.
“I really think each game they’ve taken a step,” Scheyer said after the fourth-ranked Blue Devils earned a 72-46 win against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“For our freshmen, they’re maturity despite their age, I think it’s high level. They want to learn the game, they want to just understand how to play. Not just score the ball, they want to understand how to play. Again, we’ve got a ways to go, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve taken strides every game.”
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The freshmen have taken their lumps for Duke (8-2, 1-0 ACC), particularly in late-game situations that led to the Blue Devils’ two losses against Kentucky and Kansas. But they’ve also learned from those mistakes, showing their ability to adapt and overcome in a big-time win against Auburn.
“It’s just trying to get better every single day, kind of figuring out what the scouting report is gonna be and how different teams are going to try and play,” said Flagg, a 17-year-old who is averaging 17 points and nine rebounds through 10 games.
He’s picking up on tendencies and adjusting to those, including how defenses are trying to prevent him from getting into driving lanes. He pointed to tightening his handle with hopes of becoming a more “efficient dribbler,” which is something he picked up on after those late-game miscues against the Wildcats and Jayhawks.
“Just try to know that going into the game, exploit the weaknesses that their defense is going to have,” Flagg said. “It’s all about just getting better and learning, and just being prepared as best I can.”
Khaman Maluach, Duke’s 7-foot-2 starting center, had a career-high 17 points to go with seven rebounds against Incarnate Word. The 18-year-old’s communication, knowledge of defensive coverages, and movement in pick-and-roll actions seem to be improving with every outing. He’s found out the scrutiny of being in the spotlight at Duke means he can’t afford to let up.
“From game to game, I’ve really learned they’ll always come for us,” Maluach said of opponents. “Always come into the game ready for it, knowing everybody else is going to come after us. Especially us being freshmen and trying to punch us first.”
A sharpshooter averaging 12.4 points per game, Kon Knueppel has struggled with his 3-point shot against big-time opponents. But it hasn’t stopped him from finding other ways to score while becoming Duke’s top facilitator at 3.6 assists per game.
“There’s a lot more of us on tape,” Knueppel said of the adjustments. “All of our weaknesses have been exposed, so we’re trying to work through it.”
But, as Knueppel went on to say, the pressure is eased when you’re surrounded by talented teammates. That element sure isn’t lacking for Duke.
Sion James, one of the Blue Devils’ veteran transfers, knows what it takes to adapt at the college level. So far, the 22-year-old James likes what he sees from Duke’s latest top-ranked recruiting class. The young guys are catching on quickly.
“Really, it’s just figuring it out. Being a freshman, there’s a lot of figuring it out because you’ve never played this level. We’ve got some of the most talented freshmen in the country; it’s unbelievable,” James said.
“They’re getting used to guys learning their tendencies. But the good thing about our freshmen and our guys is they have so much skill that they can kind of adjust. Guys who have been through it before, we try to help them out. But honestly, they’re way ahead of the curve.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cooper Flagg, Duke basketball freshmen ‘figuring it out’ with Blue Devils
