Jon Scheyer’s ‘blueprint’ for Duke basketball, and what’s working for the Blue Devils

DURHAM – Duke basketball started the season ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Through 10 games, the Blue Devils (7-3, 0-1 ACC) sit No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll.

Following Duke’s 89-68 win against Hofstra on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, second-year coach Jon Scheyer and several players discussed where the Blue Devils stand ahead of their meeting with No. 6 Baylor (9-0) next week in New York.

“We just wanted to take a step forward. Of course, you want that to translate to winning. But, for me, it’s not just about winning, it’s about how we played, how we competed, how we prepared,” Scheyer said of the wins against Charlotte and Hofstra.

“I know I told our team the blueprint is set. The blueprint’s set after these last two games. You have to continue to adjust and adapt to who you’re playing, what the game plan is.”

Highlighting Duke’s “preparation, collective effort and fight,” Scheyer praised the Blue Devils’ unselfishness on offense, their response defensively and their ability to adjust and adapt “on the fly.”

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Senior captain Jeremy Roach continues to set the tone in each of those areas with his play and his “command,” as Scheyer put it, of the Blue Devils.

“I think we’re growing right now,” Roach said. “We kind of took some steps back (on the road). Last week, the week of preparation that we had, we just kind of found out our identity. I think it starts with that and we just have to keep it going.”

Duke basketball assists, shooting steady even without Tyrese Proctor

It happened against mid-major competition, but Duke was able to build confidence after a rocky road trip.

After going 10-for-38 from long range against Arkansas and Georgia Tech, Duke was 21 of 40 against Charlotte and Hofstra. The Blue Devils, who combined for 22 assists in back-to-back road losses, dished out 22 assists against the Pride.

Through 10 games, Duke has three with 20 or more assists. The Blue Devils had three such performances in 36 games last season.

“I’ll take a lot of responsibility for that, because teams have played us differently and I’ve had to do a better job of positioning them where their strengths are shown, but also with adjusting to what reads are there based on how teams are playing,” Scheyer said.

“. … I think they’re gaining confidence with who we have to be together in order to win.”

That togetherness became even more important when sophomore captain Tyrese Proctor went down with an ankle injury at Georgia Tech. Proctor, who missed the past two games, is off crutches but he hasn’t been a full participant in practices. Scheyer said Duke is going to be “very cautious.”

The goal, Scheyer added, is to “elevate” without Proctor so the Blue Devils are better as a whole when their starting guard returns.

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Despite three losses before Christmas, Scheyer is pleased with the response of the Blue Devils.

The defense has to continue to figure things out as Duke adjusts to life without Dereck Lively, who cleaned up a lot as a shot blocker last season.

But Duke’s offense continues to get better as Scheyer rolls out three-guard lineups, creating a bevy of mismatches with Kyle Filipowski at center. Filipowski had a season-high 28 points, along with 12 rebounds and eight assists, against Hofstra.

“This group has gone through enough in the last year to understand the highs and lows that can come with a season,” he said. “I think, currently, we’re in a good spot. We’re far from arriving. We’re far from who we can become.”

If Duke is going to reach a championship level, it all goes back to continued growth on both ends of the court.

“I think we’re in a good spot, if we understand we have to continue to work. We have to continue to improve and understand that the blueprint … we have to follow that,” Scheyer said.

“We’re gonna continue to adapt and adjust as a coaching staff, but I think we’ve found some strengths with our team that we can definitely have moving forward.”

Freshman guard Jared McCain is locked in on Scheyer’s plan.

“Coach Scheyer’s happy and whenever Coach Scheyer’s happy, I’m happy,” McCain said with a smile.

“We’re in a great spot. These past two games have been really good for us, assisting and on the defensive side has been huge for us. So, just trying to capitalize off that for the next game.”

It’s what McCain envisioned the Blue Devils would look like when he decided to come to Durham.

“Sharing the ball, getting kicks, the defensive side … just playing Duke basketball,” McCain said.

“How Coach Scheyer always draws it up.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jon Scheyer describes ‘blueprint’ for Duke basketball