NCAA Basketball: A one-bid Pac-12, overrated Oklahoma and more takeaways
By Brian Rauf
4) Tre Jones The Key and struggling Cam Reddish
Don’t you love all those commentators on TV who think they’re being so smart by calling Tre Jones “the key” to Duke’s success this year?
I don’t know if Tre Jones The Key is actually the biggest reason for the Blue Devils’ success, but he did show just how valuable he is in Duke’s win over Texas Tech. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the country and is an excellent distributor, racking up six steals and five assists against the Red Raiders.
Many people may have undervalued or underrated Tre Jones The Key coming into the season, and he’s proving to be one of the better players in the nation worthy of praise alongside Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett.
One Duke player proving to be extremely disappointing, however, is Cam Reddish. He has four games in which he has scored fewer than 10 points and has been struggling all year, shooting just 37 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from three – pretty bad for someone considered to be a shooter.
It has also gotten worse for Reddish lately as he has gone 10/42 from the field over the last four games. Our Tristan Freeman went deeper on why this trend is a concern for Duke.
I think the Blue Devils are the best team in the country right now but they need both of these guys to be playing at a high level if they’re going to win a national title. Jones is showing that he’s capable – now Reddish has to.