Moore, Williams & Griffin lead Duke in blowout

Wendell Moore Jr., Mark Williams and A.J. Griffin led Duke to a blowout victory over Lafayette on Friday night in Durham.

Wendell Moore scored 23 points against Lafayette (Photo Credit: Reagan Lunn/Duke Athletics).

Early season games are not often looked at as true indicators of what a player can ultimately become - good or bad. The arguments typically center on the level of competition. 

There are some instances where breakout moments have taken place. Other performances do end up foreshadowing what is to come and confirming what many believed to be true in the first place. 

On Friday night, Duke rolled Lafayette 88-55 after a less than stellar first half of action. In the process, we received more corroboration for anticipated exploits of one player - Wendell Moore Jr.

We gained more affirmation of our predictions on another - Mark Williams. And we got a glimpse what might be with another - A.J. Griffin. 

Let’s start with the game itself, and we’ll get to the others in a moment. Duke burst out of the gates with smothering defense and effective, though not entirely efficient, offense. Fewer than three minutes in, Duke led Lafayette 8-0 and had already forced three turnovers. 

The Blue Devils were running the floor with purpose and making it nearly impossible for the visitors to get an open look at the basket. After a quick timeout to try and break Duke’s momentum, the Leopards responded with five quick points to make it a game. In those moments, there were really no concerns. 

This was particularly true when the Blue Devils quickly responded and rattled off a 15-2 run over the next 5:10. Just like that, Mike Krzyzewski’s team held a 23-7 lead. It appeared to be headed for another blowout by halftime. 

Lafayette had a different idea, though. Despite turning the ball over 13 times in the first half, the Leopards managed to make the game interesting, closing the gap to just eight points, 35-27, at the break. During the final eight-plus minutes of the half, Duke lost its rhythm and ability to hit shots, making just five of its last 17 shots of the half. 

Wendell Moore Jr. continued his outstanding play on Friday (Photo Credit: Natalie Ledonne/Duke Athletics).

Even still, Trevor Keels, Moore and Williams each showed signs of a big night. Each one of them scored eight points in the opening 20 minutes, but they were also contributing in other ways - most notably Moore in practically every category (5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) and Williams on the glass (8 rebounds) and with two blocks. 

The second half was more like the Duke we saw in the first 10 minutes of Friday’s game. After shooting just 33.3% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in the first half, the Blue Devils torched the nets in the second. 

Krzyzewski’s squad connected on 59.5% from the field and an impressive 57.1% (8-of-14) from 3-point range. 

Duke’s defense continued to put pressure on Lafayette, though it only forced four of the 17 turnovers in the second half. The Leopards, however, didn’t get many more easy looks at the basket the rest of the night. 

Lafayette was held to just 36.4% from the field and 18.8% from long range. Additionally, Duke owned the glass, particularly on the defensive end of the floor where they grabbed 18 of their 31 defensive rebounds for the game. 

The Blue Devils were flowing on both ends and running at will, producing 20 fastbreak points, including 22 off turnovers. 

It was an outstanding team effort. But as good as it was as a whole — there were three players that shined brighter than anyone. 

WENDELL MOORE JR. 

What can be said? Moore, who last season was expected to have a breakout year, is playing like the guy many anticipated leading into the 2020 campaign. After a less than stellar year, a lot of people were sleeping on the junior. To a degree, we at Bull City Hoops probably were, too. 

After seeing his confidence and how he carried himself against Kentucky to open the season, a lot of us changed our tune really quickly. This wasn’t a flash in the pan type of thing — Moore was a changed player. 

And tonight, he corroborated the belief that he’s going to have a monster year. If the triple double against Army was not enough evidence, his performance against Lafayette was plenty. 

Moore finished the night with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

The thing that has been most impressive about Moore, is he seemingly has the ability to turn it on whenever he pleases. He has been great playing within the system and getting his teammates involved. But when he senses Duke needs a lift, it’s as if he morphs into another player. 

He did that tonight when he rattled off eight straight points in 1:42 early in the second half. Duke was ahead 40-31 with 17:02 on the clock when he took over. By the 15:19 mark, the Blue Devils were ahead 48-34. 

They never looked back, and Moore went on to score 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, in the second half. Those points came in just 12 minutes of action. 

Get used to seeing this — it’s likely to be the trend this season. 

Mark Williams has blocked 10 shots in the last two games (Photo Credit: Reagan Lunn/Duke Athletics).

MARK WILLIAMS 

We hyped Mark Williams in the preseason like it was our job. The sample size he provided in late January through March last season had us convinced he was about to take college hoops by storm. 

The first three games of the season tempered our expectations to a degree. Maybe we overestimated his growth as a player, and/or his confidence level. The season opener with Kentucky certainly surprised most of us. His stat sheet was not impressive, but he was not quite as bad as those numbers indicated. The second and third games of the season, though, were not really good indicators of his abilities either. Against Campbell, he simply didn’t matchup. 

Then came Gardner-Webb and now Lafayette. Yes, these are not the most formidable opponents, but what these games did for us is affirm that Mark Williams’ skill-set hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s still got the tools he put on display late in the year last season. 

Tonight’s performance was impressive. I don’t care who Duke was playing. 

The big man scored 14 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, while also blocking four shots (he now has 10 blocks in the last two games). This time Williams was faced with another 7-footer, junior Neal Quinn. 

While he may not be the most impressive big man in college basketball, he was a big presence in the post, and Williams owned him from the start. He didn’t shy away on either end of the floor, and ultimately played with more physicality than we’ve seen to this point in the season. That was something Krzyzewski said after Duke’s win over Gardner-Webb that he wanted to see more of from Williams. 

The big man responded, and did it in a big way. 

A.J. Griffin had a breakout performance on Friday (Photo Credit: Reagan Lunn/Duke Athletics).

A.J. GRIFFIN 

Patience. That’s the best term to use when it comes to Griffin. Prior to the start of the season, Griffin had not played in a game in nearly two years — minus some playing time in the Jordan Brand Classic last spring. 

Everyone that followed Griffin before his arrival at Duke knows he has some incredible talent. Enough that despite not playing in two years, NBA Draft experts believe he could be a first round selection in the next Draft. 

So - patience is definitely the word of the day for Griffin. 

Krzyzewski and the Duke staff have had to be patient with his progress and mental/physical development and confidence. 

Griffin has had to be patient and know the work he has been putting in will pay off. 

And Duke fans have needed to be — and will need to continue to be — patient with Griffin as he grows more comfortable on the court. 

Having said that, we saw his first breakout moment tonight. Griffin electrified Duke fans in the second half, scoring 14 of his 18 points. And many of those points came in impressive fashion. He was 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half (4-of-6 for the game), with three of those coming consecutively. 

The first was an impressive step-back three, that he drilled in front of a Lafayette defender after breaking him down with the dribble, jab stepping and stepping-back to torch the net. It was a thing of beauty. 

His success from long range was surely a pleasant sight for the coaching staff, as Duke has struggled at times from the perimeter — including tonight in the first half. Having another guy that can hit shots from long range will be critical for Duke’s success this season. 

Griffin gives them that, but he also provides an explosive scorer around the basket. 

Lookout, because Griffin is only scratching the surface.