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Duke's Scheyer Learns to Flourish Off the Bench

By Jake Lloyd

Jan 9, 2008

Durham, N.C. — Jon Scheyer had never started a game — on the bench, that is.

All throughout middle school, and then high school, and then for 32 games as a freshman at Duke, the slender shooting guard had begun every game on the court, ready to release his pretty 3-pointer, ready to make an immediate impact.

So when Scheyer learned he wouldn't be starting for this year's Blue Devils, that he would begin every game planted on the bench, it was a bit of a surprise.

"Originally, after starting every game pretty much my whole life, I was a little shocked at first, and I think anybody would be," Scheyer said.

"But knowing that it was Gerald (Henderson) and DeMarcus (Nelson) starting, who are two great players, that was really easy for me to accept, and that's something where I took it as a challenge for myself and I knew it was a different way that I could really contribute to the team."

And contribute Scheyer has. Through Sunday's win over Cornell, Scheyer was second on the team in minutes per game (27.8) and fourth in points per game (10.7) — more like a starter's numbers than those of a bench player.

Assistant coach Chris Collins said it only took a pair of games for Scheyer to embrace his new role.

"He didn't play as well in our (two) exhibition games," Collins said. "I think he was kind of settling in to what being that first guy off the bench meant.

"And coach (Mike Krzyzewski) was able to have some great meetings with him, talk to him, explain even further how important it is to our team bringing his pop off the bench, and from that point forward he's really taken it and run with it."

Quickening his release

When Scheyer got his shot off as a freshman, more than often it went in. He was Duke's second-best 3-point shooter, hitting 37 percent of his outside shots. But it was also common for Scheyer to hesitate upon receiving the ball because his release wasn't quick enough for him to shoot over charging defenders.

Additionally, no opponents were scared of Scheyer's mid-range game. The numbers back them up: More than half of Scheyer's 113 made field goals were 3-pointers (61).

But after a summer split between playing with his teammates on campus and working out back home in Northbrook, Ill. - including time spent with members of the Chicago Bulls - Scheyer returned with a quicker trigger and more confidence in shooting from wherever.

"I think (the difference is) the experience and the confidence," Scheyer said. "I have a lot of confidence in my teammates and myself, and knowing that last year sometimes I felt I was a little tentative, this year I know I need to be aggressive — whether it's shooting the ball or not — for our team to win."

Collins said it's not easy for great high school shooters to adjust to Division I basketball because of the advanced speed and athleticism of defenders they face on a nightly basis.

"I think a big adjustment from high school to college is the window you have to get your shot off," Collins said. "And I think last year it was a little adjustment period for him knowing when he was open and being where he could shoot the ball right away, because if you're not ready to catch and shoot or dribble — go right into your shot — the level of athlete and with the size and speed that we have on this level, it's hard to get your shot off."

But, Collins said, Scheyer watched a lot of tape leading up to this season, studying how players guarded him and how he needed to adjust to them. He took his lessons to the practice court, where he worked tirelessly to find the right spots on the floor and shoot — with no hesitation — when open.

Rediscovering his mid-range game

Of course, a 3-point shooter can pump-fake and slide laterally all he wants, but if the defense knows he's staying outside, he's not hard to defend.

What has made Scheyer a dynamic scorer off the bench is his ability to catch a pass on the perimeter, make a quick fake, and then take off toward the basket. Then, eyeing his path to the rim, he makes a split-second decision to either pull up for a jumper or keep barreling straight ahead.

With these various threats, Scheyer is no longer an easy player to guard.

"On a scouting report, it's going to say to fly at me and take me off the 3-point line," Scheyer said. "So I knew. I worked with coach Collins and talked about it with him, developing (my mid-range game)."

Scheyer hasn't always been known primarily as a 3-point slinging guard. He said, in fact, that during middle school and the first few years of high school, he was more of a mid-range shooter. But around his senior year, he fell in love with the 3 and became lazy. Now, two years later, he's rediscovering his first real talent.

"My mid-range game I felt like was always a strength of my game that kind of got away from me," Scheyer said. "So it's something I've tried to get back, and every day in practice we work on finishes and drives to the basket, so that's something that's really paid off for me."

Scheyer, a lanky 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, hasn't been afraid to challenge stronger defenders in the lane, either. On one particular play against Cornell, he drove strong to the basket, used his body to protect the ball and drew a hard foul against a bigger defender. A team-leading 88 percent free-throw shooter, Scheyer knocked down both freebies.

Getting it done on both ends

As good a scorer as Scheyer has been off the bench, it might not even be the best part of his game.

Scheyer has been just as productive in coming in to snag tough rebounds in traffic and get his hands in passing lanes. He usually enters the game for the first time before the under-16-minute television timeout, and while he's fresh, his opponents often aren't.

"In the beginning of the game when I'm coming off the bench, I feel like I'm going in against guys that are tired," Scheyer said. "They've been playing 3 or 4 minutes, I come in fresh, so that's something — I'm just trying to bring energy throughout the game.

"I feel like I'm in really good shape and I can get to the loose balls and I can get my hands on a lot of balls."

Despite his lack of size, Scheyer is third on the team in rebound per game, averaging 4.9.

Collins said the defensive end is where Scheyer's competitive spirit shines through.

"He really takes a lot of pride in being able to play both ends of the floor offensively and defensively," Collins said. "And he just has a great knack for — you know, they have the old adage, 'The guy has a nose for the ball,' and he's one of those guys.

"He finds a way to scrap out those loose-ball rebounds, he gets steals, he seems to always be in the right place at the right time, he covers a lot of ground, and obviously you have to have great knowledge of the game and an understanding of where you need to be to make those things happen and to take pride in those things, and he does."

Scheyer might have played his toughest game in Duke's only loss of the season, 65-64 to Pittsburgh. Scheyer grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against the physical Panthers, including 10 on the defensive end. He also showed his understanding of the game, tipping an offensive rebound he couldn't corral to teammate Taylor King.

A sixth starter

By now, Scheyer doesn't really feel like a bench player. His teammates don't consider him one either, calling him a sixth starter.

In practice scrimmages, Scheyer's second team often beats the first team — a testament to just how good Duke's bench, anchored by Scheyer, is. And in the final minutes of close games, Scheyer is always on the floor — usually with Nelson, Henderson, Greg Paulus and Kyle Singler.

"We view him as a starter within practice," Collins said. "There is no separation where there's the starters and he's part of the second unit. He's viewed by the guys on the team as if he actually were one of the starters, and I think that helps him confidence wise to know that everyone views him in that regard."

Scheyer, for his part, doesn't care what he's regarded as long as he's helping the Blue Devils win.

And no one will argue that he hasn't played just as big of a role — if not bigger — on this year's team compared to a year ago.

"You come back that second year and you're a year older, you're stronger, you're more confident, and he's a more poised player," Collins said. "He's playing like a veteran and he continues to add more parts to his game, which makes him more dangerous on the court.

"I think he's a vastly improved player from last year to this year."