Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin shine. Here’s what else we learned in Duke’s exhibition win

Duke unsurprisingly routed Winston-Salem State in a 106-38 preseason victory on Saturday, but the fashion in which the team won gave insight on how the team may play this season.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski used a starting lineup of sophomore Jeremy Roach, freshman Trevor Keels, junior Wendell Moore Jr., freshman Paolo Banchero, and sophomore Mark Williams.

The Blue Devils took a 63-13 halftime lead, with the highly-touted Banchero equaling the Rams’ point total in the first 20 minutes.

“We wanted to come out and jump on them early,” Banchero said. “Keep that intensity up the whole time. We did that, moved the ball well, shared the ball well. It was fun.”

Banchero did not hold back in the exhibition, keeping the Rams defense honest by using his size and handle to get easy looks inside. He finished the game with 21 points and seven rebounds. His ability to handle the ball on the perimeter and take the occasional jump shot helped Duke when he was on the court.

Williams complimented Banchero well in the frontcourt by finishing lob dunks and easy passes inside. Williams went a perfect 5-for-5 in the first half for ten points.

Look for the Blue Devils to take advantage of their size this season, while playing primarily through Banchero. The preseason player of the year, Banchero’s offensive versatility will be difficult to match up against one-on-one.

The first unit played well together, with returning sophomore guard Jeremy Roach looking sharp. Roach finished the game with seven assists, kicking the ball out to open shooters and feeding the big men inside.

Though Roach led the team in assists, Krzyzewski said the ball movement among the starters is a shared duty.

“You don’t have a so-called point guard, you really have four ball handlers,” Krzyzewski said. “They like to pass to one another. When guys touch the ball, we don’t have to run something for them to touch the ball.”

Banchero echoed Krzyzewski’s remarks after the game, saying that the offense flows well with Williams getting his own looks from screens and rebounds as well as the rest of the lineup moving the ball on their own.

“You don’t really have positions out there,” Banchero said.

Roach orchestrated the offense in tandem with Moore Jr., and the two combined for ten first-half assists. Roach and Moore Jr. finished second and third on the Blue Devils in total assists last season, respectively, so they will take the bulk of the playmaking responsibilities this year, as well.

To round out the starting five, freshman guard Trevor Keels created much of his own offense in the first half, scoring an efficient ten points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three. His ability to score in spurts while Banchero goes to work and Roach runs the offense could make him an x-factor for the Blue Devils.

“We got four guys on the court that can create for not only ourselves, but each other,” Banchero said. “Then having Mark, he creates stuff for himself off rebounds, setting screens, rolling hard, lobs. It just makes everything flow better.”

Duke laid back the second half, opening with its full second unit. Freshman guard AJ Griffin, who returned to practice earlier in the week, played with the second team, likely indicating that the team’s starting five to start the coming season is set. Griffin, though, proved effective in his minutes, scoring ten points off the bench.

The starting lineup returned at 13:40 of the second half.

Krzyzewski’s team looks complete, with veteran guard play from Roach and an impressive scoring threat in Banchero. With an array of ball handlers, Duke has reliable offensive weapons for Krzyzewski’s final season. As long as the ball movement continues to lead to good looks, he believes it will bode well for the team.

“If that becomes a characteristic of the team, then we have a chance to be real good,” Krzyzewski said.

This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 3:44 PM.