Duel at point guard creates dual threat

Duke's Paulus, Smith provide varied strengths

As Greg Paulus fiddled with the pad on his right forearm, it was obvious that things just weren't the same.

Paulus had just made the kind of 3-pointer for which he's become famous at Duke. He crossed halfcourt while bringing up the ball, never hesitated and delivered a dagger shot in the Blue Devils' victory against Purdue on Dec. 2.

But as he hustled back down the court, he didn't pump his fist or wave his arms in his typical, post-big-shot fashion. He quietly adjusted the pad and took his spot on defense.

A senior who has had a significant impact on the program, Paulus now is playing a backup role. He battled a knee injury in the offseason and the forearm injury early in this season as sophomore Nolan Smith took over the starting point-guard position.

"[I'm] just trying to get better," Paulus said earlier this week. "Physically, that was the most important thing. Now it's getting the skills back, getting the timing and getting back in shape."

During that same win at Purdue, his replacement in the starting lineup left his own mark. Smith's 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field with one turnover were obvious in the box score; his impact on defense was more subtle.

Duke went into the game determined to deny high-scoring Purdue shooting guard E'Twaun Moore the ball. Jon Scheyer drew the defensive assignment and helped hold Moore scoreless for the first 29 minutes.

Scheyer said Smith's defensive pressure on Purdue's point guards helped prevent Moore from getting the ball.

"The best way for me to stop a guy is to not let him catch it," Scheyer said, "and when Nolan is putting pressure on, it's tough for guards to enter the ball in the offense."

After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked to explain the dynamic between Paulus and Smith at point guard. Krzyzewski said having veterans Paulus, Lance Thomas and Dave McClure coming off the bench is a luxury.

But Krzyzewski left no doubt about Smith's impact on the team.

"Greg was hurt all summer and actually into the fall," Krzyzewski said. "So he was behind. And Nolan's good. Nolan's really good. No one was promised anything, other than to be fair."

Paulus' clout

Paulus has had a significant effect on the Duke program since he arrived from Syracuse, N.Y.

With senior J.J. Redick on the receiving end of his passes, Paulus started at point guard in 2005-06 and led the ACC in assists per game as a freshman. As a junior, he was a third-team All-ACC selection and shot 6-for-8 from 3-point range in the Blue Devils' win at North Carolina.

Performances like that give Paulus clout in the locker room.

"Greg definitely leads by his voice," forward Kyle Singler said. "He's been around the program for a while, so he knows what Coach is thinking."

In many ways, Paulus hasn't been a typical Duke point guard. He is an excellent perimeter shooter and passer but isn't a particularly strong penetrator or defender.

At 6-foot-2, Smith is an inch taller than Paulus and offers quicker feet and superior defensive ability.

Associate head coach Chris Collins compares Smith to former Duke guards William Avery and Daniel Ewing, because he gets the offense started and then scores when the ball comes back around to him.

"He's really given us kind of a swagger out there," Collins said. "He comes out, he plays with a lot of confidence. He's very sure of himself. Certainly he heads our defense. He puts great ball pressure. And he's a scorer offensively."

Smith's super summer

Smith built his edge over Paulus during the summer.

While Paulus' offseason program was disrupted when he injured his knee at the Steve Nash point guard camp, Smith worked out ferociously with a good friend.