As expected there were a few flaws in the chemistry but we saw glimpses of natural talent. It's August so we're a long way from what this team can potentially heading into March Madness. There's was a lot of hype heading into this Canadian tour being that RJ Barrett is from Canada but Duke had to go into this missing Cam Reddish and Tre Jones. Reddish has a groin injury and Jones has a hip injury. Neither will play on this Canada trip.
This game was the RJ and Zion show in the first half as the duo scored 37 of the first 40 points. Alex O’Connell who I expect big things from this season left the game early with an eye injury after taking an elbow to the face. His status for Friday's game in uncertain. The returning player that showed me the most was Javin DeLaurier as he put up 8 points and 11 rebounds. He was tough on defense in his 29 minutes on the floor. Jack White put up 9 points (all threes) and 7 boards. Jordan Goldwire who filled the starting point guard duties looked under control with more poise compared to his freshman campaign but had a rough shooting night. He'll be a very important part of this team this upcoming season. Now back to the stars of the night….. freshman Zion Williamson looked like a man possessed as he silenced the critics by hitting 3 of his 4 three point attempts. So much for the “all he can do is dunk” narrative. He finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. RJ Barrett put up 34 points on 40% shooting which is low by his standards but I'm sure will improve next game. It felt like RJ was trying to force his game early and after the half he played under control. I liked what I saw from this team considering we're months away from the actual season but Marquis Bolden remains the biggest question mark. I feel like he'll have to be a big factor for this team to achieve max success. I trust Coach K.
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