Jon Scheyer asks for patience with Duke freshmen

Duke has become one of those college basketball programs that just spits out NBA talent. The Blue Devils are capable of doing that yet again after this season as they brought in the No. 1 class in On3’s 2022 Consensus Team Rankings. However, as some of the class’s key pieces have struggled out of the gate, Jon Scheyer wants everyone to remember that it’s a marathon, not a race when it comes to development.

Scheyer wanted to see fairness in the evaluations of his freshman, specifically center Dereck Lively II and forward Dariq Whitehead, following Duke’s 81-72 win over Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. He said their preseason injuries have led to the learning curve they’re going through now.

“I just hope, for all of these freshmen, anybody is patient with them,” Scheyer said. “Like Dereck and Dariq? They missed the most crucial part of any time of the year for freshmen and that’s the preseason. Dereck (missed) over a month and Dariq almost three months. So, for them, they’ve been working hard. And it’s gonna take them some time…We just need to keep building with all of them.”

Lively II and Whitehead are the focus because of how highly touted they were out of high school. They came into college as the 2022 class’s No. 1 and No. 2 overall players respectively per On3’s Consensus Top Recruits. While Kyle Filipowski, the No. 5 overall player, and Mark Mitchell, the No. 24 overall player, have found their footing early, Lively II (calf strain) and Whitehead (foot fracture) have both missed games during preseason action and early in the year.

Lively II missed the opener but has played in Duke’s other eight games. He has been feeling out the college game early with averages of 3.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. His best game with the Blue Devils came in Wednesday’s win over the Buckeyes, though, with 11 points on 80% shooting from the field with five rebounds and two blocks.

Whitehead missed the Blue Devil’s first three games but played in their last six. He has followed a similar path to Lively II with averages of 5.2 points and 1.7 rebounds. However, his shooting numbers have a ways to go on just 30.8% from the field and 26.7% from deep.

There’s no questioning the talent and potential that this duo has. The only problem is the season is underway now. If they’re going to learn, it’s going to be trial by fire during Duke’s schedule. That’s why, above anything else, Scheyer is preaching patience when it comes to his young stars.