Three-pointers have been an essential component of Duke’s offense since the shot went into effect permanently in 1986-87. Lately, though, the Devils haven’t been particularly effective from beyond the arc. In fact, both in 2023 and last year, Duke posted two of the three least effective 3-point attacks in program history.
As a player from 2006-07 to 2009-10, Jon Scheyer hit .381 on 780 bonusphere bombs, an average of more than five tries per game. But as a coach, two of his four teams, including last
year’s, were minimal threats, at least by program standards.
The ’26 squad was 11th in the ACC in 3-point accuracy (.347). Presumably recognizing its limitations, Duke also largely refrained from trying threes, with just a shade under 31 percent of its field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. That was one of Duke’s least aggressive perimeter focuses since the three was instituted.
Interestingly, the Devils hit at better than a breakeven percentage from long distance in all three of their 2026 losses: Texas Tech (10-27), UNC (7-19), and UConn (6-15).
Part of the problem was that three regular contributors with 51 starts between them were lousy long-range bombers – freshmen Cayden Boozer (.303 on 66 tries) and Dame Sarr (.323 on 133 attempts), and senior Maliq Brown (.167 on 30 tries).
The punchless trio accounted for a shade under a third of Duke’s 2026 minutes (2530 of 7600) but hit fewer than 30 percent of their shots (.297) from long-distance. That allowed opposing defenses to devote greater energies to stopping Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans, who carried the bulk of the team 3-point load.
Look for this year’s squad, led by 6-5 guard John Blackwell, a reputed $4 million NIL acquisition from Wisconsin, to devote considerable attention to altering Duke’s recent perimeter equation. Analysts have devoted considerable attention to the ’27 squad’s depth, especially as it appears built to apply defensive pressure. But having more and better 3-point threats on the roster should be a boon too.
| MISSING ELEMENT Seasons With Worst Team 3-Point Accuracy By Duke This Century |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Pt Pct | 3A-3M | Season | 3M As Pct FGM |
| .308 | 278-903 | 2019 | .373 |
| .335 | 245-731 | 2023 | .262 |
| .347 | 332-957 | 2026 | .308 |
| .349 | 267-766 | 2009 | .350 |
| .352 | 200-571 | 2021 | .386 |
| .352 | 217-617 | 2020 | .315 |
| .363 | 244-672 | 2003 | .339 |
| .363 | 301-830 | 2002 | .376 |
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line
