“Welcome back, Malik”: Brown’s impact on Duke’s men’s basketball, apparently in a decisive victory against North Carolina

Duke is a very good team without Maliq Brown. With it, the blue devils rise along the bar for great and approach this elusive title of the best.

In an emotion -filled competition for rivalry, Duke dominates North Carolina 87-70 In its fullest performance – especially in the first half – since it defeated Pittsburgh January 7th. These two matches have one thing in common: the last full game of Brown, before receiving a knee injury against the Panthers, and his first game was opposite the tar heels. Syracuse’s transfer did not fill in the static sheet – his only bucket came with staying in a minute – but you don’t need a basketball savant to see Brown is irreplaceable to the blue devils.

“This is a game that called for Malik Brown. It really was, “said chief coach John Sheyer.

Duke’s protection – and Brown’s role in it – has been spoken for a long time throughout the season. From the moment he entered the game and immediately came out with theft, Brown’s active hands make it difficult for the life of balls of balls in North Carolina. However, this is only the surface of what he carries on the table.

Both Scheyer and Junior Tirese Proctor pointed to the crossing of Brown as an area of ​​force. Prector was the recipient of such a penny as Brown noticed the Australian cut through the tape and hit him in a step for easy arrangement. Plays like this have the same natural feeling that the freshman Cooper Flag often causes; Brown is superior to the right game at the right time without introducing unnecessary complexity.

“I thought he had some really nice gaps. (He is) easy to play. He’s just a winner, “Sheyer said after the match. “I think it was the biggest thing about him, bringing him back to the basket, helped (us) in every aspect of insulting and defensive.”

Brown was not the only son’s devil to share wealth on Saturday – he had only two of Duke’s 20 assists. But it is no coincidence that the most effective offensive production of the Blue Devils for weeks coincided with Brown’s return to the squad.

“He is such a good passerby. This goes under the radar, as he can deliver gaps to the target and just make us walk, “Prector said.

The factor of dividing the blue devils this season was their desire to take what the defense offers. Flag often played the role of the Playmaker Saturday, looking over the heads of a double team to find an open shooter or give up the ball in transition to a teammate with a better assessment opportunity. Similarly, KNUEPEL distinguished itself when working with the ball in the piping and generates clean glances for itself and others throughout the night. This type of free -running crime was absent in close victories against Awaken a forest and NC StateAlthough Flagg and Knueppel still found their own assessment.

While Brown is often not the one in the spotlight, he gives birth to a huge weight for the Duke. With Brown on the defense court, the rest of the team does not have to worry to help her husband. They can rely on him to protect himself, help if their husband beats them and breaks the glass. If nothing else, it gives the team confidence that it can transfer to the offensive end.

– Welcome, Malik. We are so happy that we returned it, “said guard Zion James. “At that moment, we count the days. (Patrick Ngongba II and Maluach) were incredible all this time and they carry something really special. Maliq brings something really different. “

Whether it is called a selfless, high basketball coefficient of intelligence or other synonym for a strong team play, Brown embodies what it means to be a perfect teammate. As the season is worn and the regular dust for the brags of the season is inferior to post -season aspirations, connectors like Brown will be as important as superstars like Flagg.