Fake it till you make it: Duke's shot-fake mastery is breaking defenses

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- One time, two times, three times. If you followed Cameron Boozer's pump fakes Friday night after one offensive rebound in the second half against St. John's, he would have had you nodding like a bobblehead. 

He also would have scored a basket on you, as he did by going over and through Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.

One of college basketball's newest superstars this year relies on one of the oldest tricks in the book -- the pump fake -- to score, draw fouls, frustrate defenders and stay under control.

"I think for me, a big thing I've learned is using angles and things like that, getting defenders in the air," Boozer said Saturday as Duke prepared to face UConn in the Elite 8. "I think it's something I developed over time. Also, at Duke something we talk about a lot is 'getting vision.' Using pass fakes, shot fakes allows you to get vision. Even if you're not scoring, you get to slow down, read the defense for a second."

🏀 By the numbers: Duke's pump-fake impact

The simplest move in basketball is driving one of the most efficient offenses in March.

Boozer isn't the biggest, nor the most athletic. He doesn't fly for huge dunks like recent Blue Devil freshman superstars such as Zion Williamson or Cooper Flagg, nor is he a lights-out perimeter shooter. Rather, what he does possess is an incredible, innate feel for the game. His ability to get to his spots and use his strength, body control, skill and patience has led him to National Player of the Year honors and Duke to the footstep of the Final Four. 

"It's not like the NBA, right?" Jon Scheyer said. "There's more congestion in the paint. So shot fake, and especially with his size, because he has the ability to go right through you as well, it just opens up his passing. It opens up his vision and also his ability to get guys in there and get to the foul line."

Boozer draws 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes. He has taken 272 free throws this season, seventh-most in Division I. It often isn't him getting a favorable whistle, either. The fouls are legit. Boozer has the bumps, bruises, scratches and scrapes of a player who has taken a beating.

It's a vicious cycle for defenders. As Boozer gets foul line, his opponents' frustrations rise. Maliq Brown experienced it facing off against Boozer in the offseason and in practices. When the games matter, he's glad he's doesn't have to guard his star teammate.

"You can sense [opponents' frustration] before, just walking in the gym, just the type of intimidation he brings on the court, the way people stare at him," Brown said.

It's not just Boozer, though. The Blue Devils use the pump fake as often and as well as any team in the country. Against St. John's, Duke made 30 field goals; half came directly off a pump fake. Then you add in the fouls drawn and the free throws earned, and you see how one seemingly simple act can take over a game, and how Boozer can average 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, numbers not seen in four decades.

The fakes came from all over: Boozer in the post, Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster on the perimeter and Evans, Foster and both Boozers -- Cameron and Cayden -- on the dribble drive.

When asked Saturday who has the best pump fake on the team, Duke's starters shared the love. Brown said it was between Evans and Foster. Dame Sarr said Evans. Cayden Boozer offered Nik Khamenia as a sleeper option. But when it was Evans' turn, he demurred.

"No, I think it's somebody else," he said sheepishly. "It's got to be like, I don't know, maybe Caleb. I think Little Booze right here has got a good pump fake. I feel like, just because I can really shoot it, then I don't have to use a great pump fake. People are going to fly."

Perhaps that's what makes it so good, though: Shot fakes don't happen in a vacuum. Evans' doesn't have to be perfect largely because he's such a feared shooter.

"I think he's underrating his pump fake," Cameron Boozer said. "His shooting threat really gets people in the air. I would say probably 'Slim.'"

Evans' improvement off the dribble after the pump fake makes him all the more dangerous.

"He's one of a kind, man," Scheyer said after the win. "He's one of a kind. ... I think one of the things he's done is used the weapon of the shooting, and that's opened up his ability to drive and ability to play-make at times."

The shot-fake will be a needed weapon Sunday

Up next for the Blue Devils is a UConn team that ranks in the top 10 in defensive rating and blocked shot rate. The Huskies are veteran-laden, physical and meticulously coached by Dan Hurley. Senior forward Tarris Reed Jr. has been on a tear this NCAA Tournament, and he and two-time national champion Alex Karaban will draw the Cameron Boozer assignment. They emphasized trust in their game plan, discipline, technique, staying "long" and making him "finish over the length."

Battle of the Bigs: Boozer vs. Reed sets up March Madness' ultimate heavyweight throwback

Cameron Salerno

Solo Ball, another veteran with a national championship, will see his fair share of Evans.

"He's incredibly talented [as] a player," Ball said. "We know how effective he is off the ball as much as he is on the ball, and he's got a really good shot fake, too, so gotta be able to stay on your feet and stay disciplined, but at the same time you gotta be able to play that jumper because he has a really quick release."

It's a basic yet brutal conundrum, and Scheyer is confident in his team's ability to use a move that's been in place as long as the basic jump shot has existed to their advantage.

"I think there's a balance of doing it too many times versus doing it when it's there," he said. "But these guys have done a great job playing to their habits that we've worked on all year, and the shot fake is definitely a part of that."