Amile Jefferson provides Duke's bigs with someone that can relate
Amile Jefferson will offer Duke's bigs a different perspective having been in their shoes recently.
Amile Jefferson’s hire came without a lot of fanfare.
There was a press release on GoDuke.com, a statement from Mike Krzyzewski and an under the radar Zoom media availability.
But aside from that, Jefferson’s announcement came and went.
After all, he’s just a director of player development. Right? He cannot work directly with players on the court. Scouting opponents is a no-go. There’s a lot he cannot do.
But like Nolan Smith before him, he does get the opportunity to build relationships with players and pass along his knowledge. He’s tasked with helping players develop as well-rounded individuals - socially, personally and athletically.
“It’s super exciting to be back working with guys, pulling them aside, having these one-on-one conversations and helping them with the wisdom I’ve developed not only from being at Duke, not only from winning a national championship, but from playing professionally,” Jefferson said.
This wisdom is distinctly important for the betterment of the team.
And for the first time since perhaps 1992 when Jay Bilas last served as an assistant, Duke has a former frontcourt player on staff and accessible to the team.
This is no knock to the Nate James or Steve Wojciechowski’s of the past 30 years, because Duke’s staff has had capable teachers working with post players, but they just did not have quite the insight as a guy who played the positions.
“He played in the NBA. Now he’s back here giving his knowledge to us. For a player like me, that helps a lot. I’m still learning, I’m still coming along, but he’s always there to help.” - Paolo Banchero on Amile Jefferson
That’s why Jefferson’s hire might be more significant than many believe. This is true even with Jefferson not serving as the big man coach on the staff.
Jefferson might not be able to physically get on the floor and show Duke’s post players what he’s trying to impart on them, but he can certainly articulate it with them.
Communicating has always been a strong point of Jefferson’s personality. So, there’s no question his presence can be beneficial to the players.
“It’s been a blessing for me, just because he’s played here, he’s played four years under Coach,” freshman Paolo Banchero said. “He won a championship. He knows what it takes. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen. He played in the NBA. Now he’s back here giving his knowledge to us. For a player like me, that helps a lot. I’m still learning, I’m still coming along, but he’s always there to help.”
The important thing is what kind of knowledge he is able to pass along.
For Jefferson, it’s all about being able to teach the finer points of a big man that a former guard or wing might not being able to touch on. It goes beyond teaching concepts, but rather combining those ideas with practical experiences and explanations.
That’s where Jefferson believes he can make the biggest impact.
“Being a big, when we work on defensive or offensive stuff, teaching where you should be, positioning and keywords and things like that,” Jefferson noted. “I think that’s where I’m really helpful.
“Especially in our staff meetings, if I see something, it’s great that Coach (Jon) Scheyer, Coach K, they trust me to be able to say something and be a part of it. So that’s really been helpful because it gives me the confidence when I’m talking to our young guys to share what I have learned and what I know.”
As the season moves along and Banchero, Mark Williams and Theo John all show progress, one can bet that Jefferson played a critical role in their progress.