Duke continues improving, but they are masking an emerging problem: Quinn Cook. Last night they went to a likeup of Sulaimon, Dawkins, Hood, Parker, Jefferson for some stretches. Cook can be a disruptive defensive player, but more often than not, he is getting blown by in halfcourt sets (I don't have time to look at Synergy data right now to add numbers). He also isn't playing all that well offensively, which is a huge issue if your D is lacking. More than anything, he is a junior PG who is still too inconsistent to lead a team to a title, which is why I think Coach K may start using Sheed at the point more often moving forward. Sulaimon is MUCH better at dribble penetration/passing, a longer and more athletic defender, and better shooter. Against teams that press and pressure the ball, Quinn will be needed. The Gardner-Webb game is a perfect example of his inconsistency. He had (IIRC) 11 Pts, 9 Ast in the first 14:30. The rest of the game: 5 Pts, 0 Ast. Michigan game he had 0 Pts at half, 24 in 2nd half. While it's great to be able to explode like that, you're a veteran PG, you need to play at a high level for full games a lot more often.
I think Duke has all the talent to be a Final Four team, and if they play with the effort they have since Clemson, they will be a tough out in March. But the longer Cook goes without showing long stretches of steady (not even dominant) play, the more I think he will cost them a shot at a deep tournament run. I don't mean to attack Quinn, he is the emotional leader of this team right now, and it's not easy being a PG for Coach K, he demands a lot. But Quinn's play has to improve in February, epsecially at the defensive end.
