Coach K: There Are Ways of Disrupting an Offense Other Than Turnovers

Krzyzewski discusses benefits of pressure defense, even if it doesn't produce a steal

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is pleased with Duke’s defense in the first three games, but he doesn’t agree that it’s relentless. Krzyzewski joked that the word “relentless” had too many syllables for him. “It’s one more than I usually use.”

“I think it’s the point of pick-up that makes it appear that way,” he said, referring to when Duke begins pressuring the opposing ball handler. “We want to pick up full court.”

Duke has used pressure at times in recent years, but Krzyzewski sounds like he hopes to use it on a more regular basis with this year’s team. “We feel that we can use our depth and athleticism better, and maybe wear down a team or if not wear them down, put them in positions where it’s not their normal point of deployment for their offense,” he said. “It’s a little bit higher maybe, or with a different handler.”

Duke has 37 steals this season and has forced 67 opponent turnovers, but steals don’t measure the full impact of defensive pressure.

“There’s ways of disrupting an offense besides turning them over,” he said. “The point of pick-up, the point of attack, put them in different positions, because of how you (attack). Secondary ball handlers. All those kind of things—those are the things I’m trying to get across to our team. When they see those matchups, I want them to be aware of defensive matchups even more so than offensive matchups, because that’s how our team’s going to be built.”