Duke Basketball Guard's Pristine Start Mirrors Senior-Year Jon Scheyer

Tyrese Proctor has been a faultless Duke basketball facilitator as of late.

They're about the same height and weight. Both arrived in Durham as heralded recruits and began their Duke basketball careers in more of a two-guard role before becoming full-fledged floor generals.

And some early numbers this season say the similarities between sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor and head coach Jon Scheyer in his Duke basketball playing days, especially in the early going of his senior campaign for the eventual 2009-10 national champions, don't end there.

Through five games for the ninth-ranked Blue Devils (4-1), Proctor, who emerged as a primary point guard late last season, has recorded 27 assists and only four turnovers. That includes the 6-foot-5, 185-pound smooth Australian's impressive effort in Tuesday night's 95-66 home win over La Salle (Duke's second of three Blue Devil Challenge matchups).

Proctor was productive and all-around efficient in his 30 minutes of action: 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, zero fouls, and zero turnovers. He shot 7-for-11 from the field, 2-for-3 from deep, and 6-for-6 at the line.

Was it Proctor's most complete performance this season?

"Yeah, for sure," the 19-year-old, a projected 2024 NBA lottery pick in the eyes of some, said in the locker room afterward. "Obviously, I scored the ball, but I think just facilitating and rebounding the ball, that's the big thing Coach has been asking me to do...

"I think I controlled the tempo really well tonight."

*Tyrese Proctor scored a career-high 22 points vs. La Salle (7-11 FG, 2-3 3pt).

*In his last 3 games, Proctor has 14 assists and 0 turnovers. He has 27 assists and just 4 turnovers so far this season, good for a 6.75 A/TO ratio.

— #DukeMBBStats (@DukeMBBStats) November 22, 2023

Rewind to Scheyer's senior year. Now-retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski — on hand for the Blue Devils' latest victory — tasked him with running point full-time. And across Duke's 5-0 start that season, the 6-foot-5, 190-pou

nd clever playmaker had 27 dimes (same as Proctor) to two turnovers.

"So, I beat Tyrese," the second-year head coach quipped when Blue Devil Country on SI.com reminded him in Tuesday's postgame press conference about his brilliance out of the gates in Duke basketball's fourth of five national championship journeys.

The 36-year-old Scheyer then reminded the media of Proctor's reclassification last year to join the Blue Devils' seven-deep haul for his first season at the helm.

"Look, Tyrese came here a year early," Scheyer noted. "He went through a lot of ups and downs in that year. But I felt it got him the most ready...I love the pace he's playing at. He's talking, he's leading, he's composed, and he's making simple plays, but then naturally, because he's really talented, he's making some plays that you can't teach."

Tough J from Rese (he's got 20)

69-46 👿 | 10:00 to go (ACCN) pic.twitter.com/EaBqmCCzOT

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 22, 2023

Scheyer added that his message to Proctor is similar to that of Krzyzewski to him 14 years ago.

"Of course, when I was a player, Coach K said, 'Look, I'm putting you here, you better not turn the [darn] ball over,'" Scheyer recounted. "So, I didn't. I do what I'm told. 

"With Tyrese, I've said it in a little bit of a different way. But he's still taking it to heart, valuing the ball but still being aggressive. That's a hard thing to balance. And so to have 22, seven, and four with no turns [against La Salle] is a big-time thing."

Tyrese Proctor, Jon Scheyer, and the Blue Devils now gear up for their final Blue Devil Challenge outing against Southern Indiana in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

Duke's Jon Scheyer Jokes About First Technical Foul

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.