Joseph TreutleinAfter a marginal freshman season where he scored just 4.4 points in 12.6 minutes per game as essentially a high school senior promoted hastily to the college ranks,
Andre Dawkins nearly doubled his production as a sophomore, while making considerable strides in his efficiency from all over the floor. Dawkins made noteworthy improvements in his two-point, three-point, and free-throw shooting percentages, but despite the increases he still remains a fairly limited player in Duke's scheme.
Not a player who will blow you away with either his athleticism or shot creating ability, Dawkins does the vast majority of his damage hitting spot-up jumpers in the Blue Devils halfcourt offense. 72% of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, with him rarely getting attempts anywhere near the basket.
In terms of shooting ability, Dawkins possesses excellent mechanics, having a high and quick release along with great balance and NBA range. Dawkins is adept at pulling up with the ball in space and coming around screens, not just relying purely on spot-up shots. With that said, he does show some trouble dealing with contested shots and creating when closely guarded, getting most of his off-the-dribble looks when uncontested.
Dawkins shows a very good understanding of his role, as he rarely steps outside his comfort zone, picking his spots extremely well when he chooses to do more than hit open jumpers. Dawkins doesn't show much of anything in terms of advanced ball-handling or shot creating ability in isolations, but he does show a certain degree of shiftiness on spot-up drives, doing well to read lanes and get to the basket for high-percentage shots on his rare forays. His 62% two-point shooting percentage on just 1.6 two-point attempts per game is evidence of his extreme selectiveness, as is his 43 free throw attempts on the season in nearly 800 minutes of action..
Dawkins may find himself in line for more minutes and possessions with teammates
Kyrie Irving,
Nolan Smith, and
Kyle Singler all moving on to the NBA. On the other hand, he could just as likely see a diminished role if he doesn't rise to the occasion, as Duke has five top-100 players incoming in their recruiting class, most notably
Austin Rivers. Regardless, Dawkins won't have anything handed to him, and will likely have to expand his game to stay relevant in Duke's rotation.
On the defensive end, Dawkins shows a high motor and a very strong fundamental base, being active in his stance, using his hands well, and constantly going all out to stay with his man. With that said, he's clearly lacking somewhat in lateral quickness, being prone to getting blown by on the perimeter, though he does do a decent job using his length to block shots from behind and ride his man's hip on drives. Dawkins also shows some trouble getting over screens on pick-and-rolls, though makes up for it partially with effort.
Looking forward, Dawkins' strong three-point shooting ability gives him a decent foundation to work on with a skill that's always in demand in the NBA, but has yet to show much else at the college level on a high-level consistent basis. Dawkins probably doesn't have the athletic/defensive profile to stick around in the NBA as just a pure shooter, so he will likely need to show more in other areas, something that may be a challenge with so much talent around him in Durham.
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