Duke Basketball: 3 reasons why 2019-20 team will be better than last year
By Cody Larson
Sophomore Tre Jones
Managing an offense as a point guard with Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish at your disposal comes with its positives and negatives. Sure, having those three as lob threats and kick-out options certainly makes life easier, but distributing to those three in a smart and efficient manner can be difficult. Tre Jones managed to do so, proving his worth as an elite college-level floor general.
To prove that statement all one has to do is look at his amazing assist-turnover ratio (3.62), of which set the all-time season record with for Duke Basketball. Combine that with him nabbing a National semifinalist spot in the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year race; that makes him an ideal, glue-guy floor general.
Tre Jones – freshman year accolades
- ACC All-Defensive Team
- ACC All-Freshmen Team
- All-ACC Tournament Second Team
- All-ACC Team – Honorable Mention
Tre Jones should see a much higher usage rate next season, and because of the reasons listed above, that should make Blue Devil fans feel very comfortable. Despite all of the talent Duke had last season, Jones truly was the heart that kept the team beating, that should hold even truer next season.
That being said, Jones does still have some aspects of his game to improve on, especially given his likely increased role. With the ball looking to be in his hands more often next year, he needs to step up his aggression in terms of finding his own shot (he only averaged 9.4 points a game last season).
Luckily, he has had all off-season long to prepare himself for that. Bumping his scoring numbers into double figures could make him one of the most well-rounded point guards in college basketball. Jones will be the key that opens everything in Durham next season. With almost every aspect of his game being set in stone, it is fair to assume that he – at least himself – will be ready to lead Duke to the promised land next season.