I can't say enough about how well Devin Thomas played last night against Louisville. Thomas finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers. He did all of this with an offensive efficiency of 138, with a usage rate of 28% on just 14 field goal attempts, while going against a Louisville team who has the 2nd best defensive efficiency in the country.
Devin was consistently battling on the defensive end, fronting post players and denying entry passes, battling for rebounding, and diving on the floor for loose balls. He played with more energy and emotion than I can recall any other Wake player doing in the time I've been watching Wake Forest, which dates back to 2008.
I thought that last night's game was Devin's 2nd best game of his collegiate career. I feel that his best performance was his freshman performance against N.C. State in which he had 25 points on just 13 field goal attempts, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 4 blocks and 3 steals. He did all of that with a usage rating of 29% and had an offensive efficiency of 146. State had a lot of long and athletic big men, but they had just the 112th best defense in the country that season.
If Devin can continue playing at a very high level, then Wake Forest will compete in nearly all of its remaining ACC games. On Wednesday, Duke's Jahil Okafor will present another extremely daunting task for Devin. I'm looking forward to watching Devin go to work.
Do you all think last night was the best game of Devin's career? Tell me why or why not.