A transfer with massive experience and a killer J should really help.
The latest player profile from the Duke Chronicle is out and it’s of Purdue transfer Mason Gillis.
Before we get to that though, a brief minute to ponder why the Chronicle went through five freshmen and now two transfers without mentioning the sixth freshman, Darren Harris. Maybe there’s a plan there but it’s hard to see.
But we digress! Back to Gillis.
A 6-6/225 lb. grad student, Gillis is also 23, which immediately adds a ton of experience to Duke’s roster.
At Purdue last year, he came off the bench and was, among other things, a three point specialist. Gillis hit 46.8 percent from behind the line last year but keep in mind that 7-4 Zach Edey typically drew a double team and certainly always a lot of defensive attention. Gillis’s career percentage from three was 40.7 percent which is still outstanding but not as splashy as last year’s.
We imagine he’ll continue to shoot well. The bigger question mark, as the Chronicle points out, is his defense. When you have a massive presence like Edey behind you, he can make up for a lot of mistakes or shortcomings.
Bottom line is this: Gillis gives Duke an ace shooter and a massive injection of experience. He’s going to be a major asset for Jon Scheyer and Duke.
By the way, if Duke gets to the Final Four next season, Gillis may be just the second player to do it for two teams, following Bob Bender who played for Bob Knight’s 1976 national championship team before getting back to the title game with Duke in 1978.
There may be someone else who has done it but we can’t remember anyone else doing it.
