Statline—Friday vs. Central Michigan: 14 points, 4-of-6 shooting, four rebounds, five assists, one steal in 25 minutes.
Saturday vs. Kansas: 9 points, 4-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals in 21 minutes.
Thursday vs. Purdue: 22 points, 10-of-17 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals in 34 minutes
The good: Jones has not been as prolific a scorer or defender for most of the beginning of the season. Having to acclimate to playing again with senior guard Chelsea Gray along with so many weapons on the roster have hampered her individual scoring efforts. However, she is starting to take a more definitive role in games especially with the Purdue game. Against a ranked opponent in the Big 10/ACC Challenge, Jones put up 22 points but also added the intangibles, contributing five assist, three steals and seven rebounds. That kind of gritty playing and scoring ability are things Duke will need with Connecticut coming on the horizon.
The bad: Turnovers and a lack of consistency have been an issue for Jones who often tries to fit passes in tight windows with a low chance of succeeding. She had nine in this week's contests and as she begins to take a leadership role in running the offense next season, she will need to take better care of the ball. Her scoring numbers also show a lack of consistent offensive effort, which is inevitably a problem with such a deep and experienced team around her. However, Jones has the ability to put up 20 points each game, so expectations should be higher for her.
The bottom line: Jones is showing positive signs that she will be a consistent threat on this team, and she will certainly need to be if Duke expects to make a deep NCAA tournament run. Jones brings an aggressive and fast-paced style of play to the Blue Devils that her counterpart, Gray, does not possess. Because Gray typically contributes every game, Jones is a point of uncertainty for Duke as she can be a game changer or simply another play on the court. If she steps in to fill the role of a team leader, Jones has significant potential moving forward.
Honorable mention: Freshman Oderah Chidom had a surprisingly successful Paradise Jam and received extended minutes with Haley Peters sidelined with an injury for that tournament. Chidom grabbed 24 rebounds in the final two games of the tournament and added 23 points to her stat line. Duke has needed its bench to continue to step up and with the glut of upper-class talent, Chidom's early season success is a good sign moving forward for the Blue Devils. Haley Peters similarly made her presence known in her first game back from injury against Purdue, scoring 14 points and leading the team with nine rebounds.
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