Is Quinn Cook Duke’s Most Important Player?

Duke’s men’s basketball team really doesn’t have any star players, with freshman Austin Rivers being its biggest name. The team lacks what it has had in the past with guys like Christian Laettner, Jay Williams, and J.J. Redick, all of which were supremely talented and well-known college players.

If Rivers sticks around – and given the way that college basketball has seemed to work in recent years, that’s a big if – he could become that supremely talented and well-known player.

However, in my opinion, fellow freshman Quinn Cook is Duke’s most important player. Yes, that Quinn Cook. Not Stephen Curry’s younger brother Seth or one of the Plumlee bros (Miles or Mason) or Ryan Kelly, who has been one of the most improved players on the team dating all the way back to last year.

Why might Cook be Duke’s most important player, you ask? Well, it’s because of his efficiency.

All season long, Duke has lacked the presence of a true point guard, leaning on the likes of the aforementioned Curry and sophomore Tyler Thornton to handle the ball-handling duties throughout much of the early season.

As of late, though, Cook, who played sparingly earlier in the season, has proven that he has both the skills and the smarts – the second is arguably even more important than the first, especially when it comes to a point guard – to be the team’s primary ball handler.

Entering last Thursday’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers, Cook was leading the country – yes, the country – in assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 4.5 assists for every turnover.

And while he has averaged just 5.5 points and 2.4 assists in 12.6 minutes per game, in the five games prior to the Virginia game, games in which he received much more consistent and substantial playing time, Cook averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 assists in 20.4 minutes per game, including one start.

No matter how many other solid contributors a team has, every squad needs a floor leader. Just look at Duke’s biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. A few years ago, they were really struggling to be the national powerhouse that so many people have become accustomed to, despite being stocked with immense talent. Then they inserted Kendall Marshall into the starting point guard role, from which point they went on an incredible run, winning 17 of their final 20 games (they started 12-5) and going all the way to the Elite Eight, where they lost a close game to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Cook has likely won the starting job, at least for the time being, and it’s up to him to continue to play at a high level. Without a true floor general, this Duke team could be in major trouble, especially come March. But if they continue to get great play from Cook, they are capable of making a run to the Final Four.

Source: ESPN.com


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