Sean Stewart could help Duke men's basketball reach its potential
Sean Stewart didn’t receive a ton of minutes on Wednesday, but he made the most of them.
In No. 9 Duke’s 71-53 victory over Notre Dame, the Blue Devils got contributions from multiple faces. Glue guy forward Mark Mitchell notched his third career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Freshman Jared McCain was an efficient 5-of-9 from the field, with fellow first-year guard Caleb Foster adding 13 points off the bench.
But perhaps the most welcome sign for head coach Jon Scheyer was the play of Stewart. Prior to Wednesday, the 6-foot-9 freshman had scored a grand total of six points in eight ACC games. Against the Fighting Irish, he nearly doubled that total, with four points on 2-of-3 from the field — along with five rebounds, three steals and a block.
The first of those points came in the midst of Duke’s 17-0 run to take control early in the contest. After rejecting Notre Dame guard J.R. Konieczny’s layup attempt, Stewart raced up the floor while Tyrese Proctor saved the ball to Kyle Filipowski.
Filipowski passed ahead to Foster, who gave Stewart a chance to show off his bounce. It turned out to be a good choice.
"We don't have anybody [else] that can do that," head coach Jon Scheyer told reporters after the win.
His second bucket, a short floater that put Duke ahead 54-41 roughly midway through the second half, was not nearly as exciting. However, it shows the Floridian’s growth into becoming more than just a leaper.
Stewart may have broken Zion Williamson’s standing vertical leap program record before the season began (with a 36-inch jump, mind you), but to carve out a niche in a frontcourt that features Mitchell, a potential first-team All-ACC member in Filipowski and the gritty Ryan Young, you need a well-rounded skill set.
Stewart is certainly getting there, and Duke stands to benefit from that development.
"He’s still learning the game, and he’s still developing his skill level and all that," Scheyer said. "But he’s got a great competitive edge, he’s got great athletic ability, he has terrific defensive versatility."
How can Stewart’s emergence help the Blue Devils? For one, Filipowski has been mired in foul trouble throughout ACC play, with Duke’s switch-heavy approach putting the versatile big in some challenging spots.
When the sophomore heads to the bench, Scheyer needs a lineup he can rely on to maintain ownership of the paint. Stewart, with his chops as a rim protector and rebounder, can be part of those groups.
Plus, Stewart’s high-flying nature meshes well with Young’s old-school, back-to-the-basket approach. A lineup featuring three guards, Stewart and Young is a recipe for shooting, high-low actions and enough defensive versatility to keep up against the ACC’s best.
After all, it’s that end of the court that is holding Duke back at the moment. The Blue Devils are 37th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. With an offense that ranks ninth nationally in adjusted efficiency, Duke needs improvement on the defensive end to accomplish its goals of contending for three titles — the ACC regular season, tournament and national.
“I don’t care who you are on our team, if you’re out there not impacting the ball on defense, not being in a stance and going to the boards, then we’re gonna get somebody in who can,” Scheyer said.
Stewart, if he continues to grow, can factor into that improvement. If Wednesday is any indication, he already has.
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