2018 NBA Draft: 5 prospects who showed up big at Champion’s Classic
4. Trevon Duval, Duke
Year: Freshman
Position: PG
Since Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook starred in a title-winning backcourt for the Blue Devils in 2015, Duke has struggled to find an elite point guard to run the show. Derryck Thornton, Frank Jackson, Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen all tried their hand at the point, to middling results.
Enter Trevon Duval, a lottery prospect at point guard for the Blue Devils. A consensus five-star recruit, questions floated around Duval about whether he was even the type of elite prospect Duke needed.
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Duval wasn’t perfect Tuesday night, and he didn’t dispel all of those questions. His outside shot (0-for-4 on 3-pointers) is an area for improvement, and overall he shot an inefficient 7-of-20 from the field. But when he was able to attack the rim in transition, and his quickness and burst tore through the Spartans’ defense, ending with pretty finishes at the basket.
Those transition opportunities were sparked by his instincts and aggressiveness on defense. Playing at the top of Coach K’s 2-3 zone, Duval leapt into passing lanes again and again as the Spartans mostly played outside of the zone looking for an opening. The freshman finished with six steals, many of those leading directly to transition points.
When the Blue Devils were forced to score in the half-court, Duval showed off great passing instincts and touch getting his teammates open looks. Again and again he was able to find Grayson Allen open on the wing, including an absolute bomb at the first-half buzzer to give Duke a four-point lead at halftime.
Duval has work to do if he wants to be a lock for the top-10, but in a draft devoid of elite point guard prospects, he could work himself up in the pecking order with continued showings like the one he had in Chicago Tuesday night.