Duke Basketball: Biggest keys for Blue Devils in final month of 2019-20
Matthew Hurt
The photo above is an encapsulation of the Matthew Hurt Duke wants to see, despite if this was really a foul or not. Hurt aggressively attacked the ball for a huge rebound in the waning minutes of an important game to help seal the victory.
Hurt has had an up and down season, to say the least. A lot was expected upon his arrival in Durham but many of those expectations were a little unrealistic. He is not a one and done player, but he is an extremely skilled offensive weapon who can be exploited defensively at times.
As a result, he has had some games where he looks unstoppable, hitting side step threes or spinning to the basket for two with a slick post-move. In others, he plays much less than the 21 minutes he averages as the other team looks to attack him relentlessly off the dribble or sealing him down under the basket.
That being said, Hurt is good at blocking shots at almost one per game and getting better as a team defender. He needs to keep improving on the defensive end because offensively is where he butters his bread. He has the third-best true shooting percentage in the ACC and also has the 12th best player efficiency rating.
A lot of what he needs to work on has to do with adding strength. If he can add twenty pounds of muscle or more over his college career, he can take the steps forward to be a better rebounder and post defender which will be expected of a player his size.
This will also help him finish at the rim and drawing fouls with more physical play. Hurt shoots 79% from the free throw line but only gets there 1.6 times a game. While it seems players with his reputation are trying to get to the NBA as fast as possible, Hurt would be better served staying in school and working on his strength and athleticism.
Far from the norm anymore, Hurt could be a star four-year player who has his number hanging in the rafters. His arc could resemble another Duke great and NCAA all-timer in Christian Laettner. They have similar games and builds and while Hurt does not have the same kind of confidence and fire that defined Laettner as a player, he does play with some passion.
Their most important similarity is their talent on the offensive end and the variety in which they can score. Laettner averaged 8.9-pts 4.7-reb 1.2-ast .8-blk his freshman year. Hurt averaged 10.5-pts 3.6-reb .9-ast .8-blk so far this year. Laettner was a better defender, Hurt is a more potent offensive weapon. If Hurt decides to play at Duke for a few years and can bring the kind of success to Durham that Christian brought, his jersey will be hanging alongside the Duke icons in the heights of Cameron Indoor.