Luol Deng

While our Devils may be struggling, it’s good to see former Dukies excelling. One example of this is Luol Deng. It’s a little painful to think that this would be his senior year at Duke. If you included Shawn Livingston in the mix, this Duke team would have the star power it needed to be on top of the ACC. Sadly, that’s not the case, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be happy for Luol.

If you haven’t noticed, Luol is on his way to being one of the top players in the NBA, with the likelihood of being an All-Star by next year. His numbers have improved significantly each season he has been in the league. He’s gone from averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a rookie, to 14.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in his second year, and now he’s averaging 18.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. What I find most impressive is the fact his numbers are improving despite the fact the Bulls acquired Ben Wallace this past offense and the improvement of his other teammates like Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni, and even Chris Duhon. The Bulls even drafted LSU standout Tyrus Thomas, who has a similar build and plays the same position. Despite all of that, he’s averaging four more minutes a game compared to last year. In fact, in the month of February, he’s averaging over 42 minutes per game with no signs of letting up.

I remember when he was at Duke, everyone thought he was just a good player that wasn’t overly athletic, who was skilled, but not good at any one thing. Despite his lack of upside, Luol Deng has shown us what heart, desire, and work ethic can accomplish. Despite having to flee the Sudan due to civil war and moving around from country to country, he has remained a strong positive role model that the Duke family can be proud of. Not only is he a hero in the Sudan and the US, but he is highly followed and respected in the UK. As a naturalized British citizen and a 2012 Olympic ambassador for England, he hopes to lead their team to the gold. England, which won the 2012 bid to host the Olympics, also hopes to get Ben Gordon, who was born in England, as well as former Dukie, Eric Boateng to help him accomplish that task.

I know many of you don’t watch the NBA anymore, but if you can, try to check out a Bulls game now and then. Not only will you get to see how good Luol Deng is, but you’ll also get to see a great leader and team player in Chris Duhon. If you’re lucky you’ll catch a Bulls-Clippers game. Not only will you see Deng and Duhon, but also Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Daniel Ewing, and Shawn Livingston (oh what could have been). That’s probably the best way to maximize your NBA watching. Let’s just hope our own Devils are watching him and maybe some of what makes him good will rub off on them.