DURHAM, N.C. — As a high school senior, Jaemyn Brakefield listed 10 schools he was considering for his college basketball home in August 2019.
Duke was noticeably absent from that list.
That changed Oct. 3 of that year when the Blue Devils offered the 6-foot-8 small forward a scholarship. He committed the following day, two weeks before he made his official visit to Duke.
Better late than never applies in this recruiting scenario.
Three games into his freshman season with the No. 10 Blue Devils, Brakefield has produced back-to-back solid shooting performances for a Duke team in need of exactly that type of offense.
He hit all four of his 3-point attempts last Friday night, scoring 12 points as Duke topped Bellarmine, 76-54. This after he came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting when the Blue Devils otherwise struggled through a tough shooting night in losing 75-69 to Michigan State three nights earlier.
"I know we got him late," Duke sophomore forward Matthew Hurt said, "but I'm very happy we did because we wouldn't be the team we can be if we didn't have him."
Entering Tuesday night's game with No. 6 Illinois, Brakefield is averaging 8.0 points while having made 8 of his 13 field-goal attempts (61.5%). Among Duke players who have attempted 10 or more shots this season, only fellow freshman Jalen Johnson (16 of 25, 64%) is shooting better than Brakefield.
The Blue Devils (2-1) are shooting 45.6% as a team, making Brakefield's early play stand out even more.
"He's a tough kid," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said following Friday night's game over Bellarmine, when Brakefield was perfect on 3-pointers. "He's easy to play with because he can space the floor. Four for 4 from the 3 is outstanding. It's obvious he can shoot and we have to make sure he's put in position. He can spread us a bit which gives Matt (Hurt) more room."
In Duke's star-studded, six-man freshman class, Brakefield became easy to overlook. Johnson was named first-team All-ACC in the preseason and is projected as an NBA Draft lottery pick next year.
DJ Steward scored 24 points in his debut when Duke beat Coppin State, 81-71, on Nov. 28. Guard Jeremy Roach and 7-1 center Mark Williams have already started games.
Meanwhile, Brakefield scored his 23 points combined against Michigan State and Bellarmine while playing only 31 minutes.
"Just doing the things you can't coach — playing with energy and effort and playing to win," Brakefield said. "It doesn't matter when I get on the floor or what time. When I get on there, I'm going to play my best and play my hardest."
The best position for Brakefield to be on offense is in spot-up shooting situations. Krzyzewski said the coaching staff determined early that Brakefield is at his best in non-dribbling situations.
According to Synergy Stats, Brakefield has made four of five shots in spot-up situations where he catches and shoots without dribbling. All four of those made shots are 3-pointers.
"We told him his game will adapt to ours ... not to change his game," Krzyzewski said. "His (game) is more limited dribbles, he's a smart player and can space the court and he's a good defender."
Brakefield's recent stretch of good shooting came as junior forward Joey Baker has struggled, making just 2 of 10 shots overall. Sophomore forward Wendell Moore has made just 1 of 16 shots over the last two games.
Again, his ability to score while others haven't helps him stand out. The tests come Tuesday, against another top-10 team in Illinois (3-1), and when the ACC schedule starts next week at Notre Dame to see if Brakefield can maintain his strong shooting and earn even more minutes.
"I'm working on everything," Brakefield said. "Every part of my game, I'm working on that just to improve. One thing I bring to every game is definitely the effort and energy."
