Once again, the Duke Blue Devils are one of the best teams in all of college basketball. Unsurprisingly, Cooper Flagg has gotten most of the praise and the credit.
Nevertheless, coach Jon Scheyer is well aware of the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. As much as Flagg deserves recognition, he also wants people to talk about Maliq Brown.
The junior transfer was at his best when the Blue Devils squared off against Syracuse, his former team. That’s why coach Seyer gave him his flowers for setting the tone.
Jon Scheyer credits Maliq Brown for his aggressiveness
“Maliq has changed our team dramatically,” the coach said. “Maliq is the ultimate teammate. He’s incredibly unselfish. He’s been everything we could ask for and more. He’s a menace on the defensive end. His passing, his energy, you know, he led us in rebounding tonight.”
Browns was unfazed by the boos and jeers from his former fans. While his six points and eight rebounds might not pop out on the stat sheet, his impact went beyond numbers.
His defense was instrumental in smothering his former team, helping Duke run away with an easy 83-54 win. They’re the second-best team in the nation right now, and with this kind of synergy, it’s hard to envision anybody beating them.