DJ Steward arrived in Durham after being the 26th ranked recruit in the country, per 247Sports. Steward had the reputation of being a pure scorer coming in to Duke and lived up to those expectations, demonstrating an advanced scoring prowess throughout the season.
Steward burst onto the scene with a 24 point, 9 rebound game in Duke’s season opener against Coppin State, laying the foundation of what would be a productive Freshman season. Steward averaged 13 points per game on the season, and there were just seven games where Steward did not reach double digit scoring. Steward also averaged 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 42.6% from the field and 34.1% from three.
Steward’s struggles this season came mostly on the defensive end. He had a very correctable habit of ball watching and losing sight of his man.
In this clip, Steward completely falls asleep defensively. He finds himself nearly all the way in an upright position while staring at the ball. This allows his man to relocate and find the open shot.
Here, we see Steward again losing focus off the ball. He turns his back on his man while watching the ball and forgets about him. It leads to his man having a free run to the basket for the put back dunk.
Steward occasionally had difficulty playing through contact. This is something that can easily be improved upon with an off season of weight training. While he possesses a very advanced offensive game for being just a Freshman, he had a hard time dribbling through contact. A small amount of contact from the defender would be enough to throw him off his route.
With added strength over the offseason, plays like this will not happen nearly as much for Steward. His ability to drive as well as finish through contact will improve.
Steward’s scoring ability was transparent. He could score from all three levels on the floor and did so with ease. He was comfortable in catch and shoot situations and could create his own shot off the dribble as well.
Steward could knock down the shot in catch and shoot situations, but also possessed the unique ability to create his own shot off the dribble at any time. This possession against NC State was going nowhere and the shot clock was beginning to wind down, but DJ Steward bails Duke out with the effortless step back.
DJ Steward was an excellent rebounder for his size this season. At just 6’2, 163 pounds, his 3.9 rebounds per game is no small feat. He provided a valuable rebounding boost from the back court.
Steward shows off his impressive rebounding instincts here. He displayed a knack for understanding the most opportune times to crash the glass all season.
More of the same here from Steward. He keeps the play alive for Duke and it leads to two points.
Steward also showed that he is very capable of creating for others. He showed patience with the ball in his hands and has an ability to see the play before it happens.
Plays similar to the three above occurred regularly for Steward all season. His scoring ability will be the main takeaway from his Freshman season, but he is a very natural playmaker as well.
Overall, Steward’s Freshman season was impressive. His 13.0 points per game was good enough for the 20th best average in the ACC and he displayed a scoring consistency rarely seen from Freshmen. Assuming he returns for his Sophomore season, he has a chance to be one of the best offensive players in the conference. His potential is evident. He could be a major piece to the puzzle for Duke next season.