Duke coach Jon Scheyer is “optimistic” that versatile forward Maliq Brown will return this season after a shoulder injury.
The 6-foot-9 junior was injured after playing only 10 minutes in the third-ranked Blue Devils’ victory against Virginia on Monday. He looked to hurt his left arm when reaching into a passing lane to deflect a ball, and he was wearing a sling thereafter.
Scheyer said Thursday that medical imaging revealed nothing surprising about what he characterized as a dislocated shoulder. On Saturday night, the Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will play Illinois of the Big Ten in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“We’re optimistic that we can get him back this season,” Scheyer stated during a virtual press conference. “I think the hardest aspect is, a lot of it has to do with his stability, and he’s still fairly painful. So we’ll see how much time that takes.
Brown will not play “in the next week or so at the very least,” according to Scheyer, who expects him to be out for many weeks. Duke has just five games remaining in the regular season.
Brown, a Syracuse transfer, averages just 2.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. However, his significance extends beyond raw stats; his ability to switch and defend numerous spots off the bench has been a critical component of a defense that ranks fourth nationally in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency measures, allowing 90.9 points per 100 possessions.
Brown had just returned after a four-game hiatus due to a knee ailment.
This season’s backcourt for Duke basketball is the one the school has always needed to win a national title.
The Blue Devils’ guard play has been exceptional this season, and it is skilled enough to lead Duke to a national title.
Duke basketball (23-3, 15-1 ACC) is 9-1 in its past 10 games, with the one setback coming at Clemson a few Saturdays ago by a score of 77-71, the Blue Devils’ first road and ACC loss of the season.
Over the last ten games, the Blue Devils have averaged over 82 points per game. This season, the program has also assisted on 59% of their made shots, ranking around the top 40 nationally according to KenPom.
But what’s been propelling the Blue Devils during that run has been great backcourt play, and the guard combo of Tyrese Proctor and Sion James is growing into one of the top backcourts in the country, with the makings of a national championship-caliber guard duo.
After a huge collapse in late January, when Proctor averaged only 6.6 points per game on 27.5% shooting from the field in Duke’s final five games of the month, he’s been mentioned as the top guard in the country throughout February.
In Duke’s six February games, Proctor is averaging 17.3 points per game on 52.7% shooting from the field and 47.5% from three. He has scored 20 or more points in two of those games.
His confidence has skyrocketed, and he’s taking advantage of every opportunity the defense provides.
James doesn’t look for his own scoring until it’s there, but his ability to drive to the basket at six-foot-six and 220 pounds makes him an outstanding drive-and-kick passer, and he’s also dominating in the pick-and-roll game.
Over Duke’s previous 10 games, the Tulane transfer guard has 40 assists and only seven turnovers, for a stunning assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.7 to one.
James and Proctor have worked really well together, and since James was introduced into the starting lineup earlier this season, the two have formed one of the most seasoned and intelligent backcourts in the country.
“You talk about the ‘dog mentality’, I think those guys (Proctor and James) have just been competitive and tough, and the rest comes from there,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said following Duke’s 106-70 home victory against Stanford last week. “They’ve been really selfless, but they choose their times to be aggressive. I believe we are establishing continuity as our players learn how to play with one another.
Duke’s guard play has been among the best in the country this season, and James and Proctor’s combination of talent, intelligence, and experience oozes the makings of a backcourt capable of leading a young team like this year’s Blue Devils to a national championship in early April.
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