Duke basketball 2013-14 player review: Matt Jones

With Duke's season in the books, The Blue Zone will review the seasons of all the Blue Devils, beginning with the freshman Monday and ending with the seniors and graduate students Friday.

Matt Jones

• Year: Freshman
• Height: 6-foot-4
• Position: Guard
• This year's statline: 1.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 7.3 MPG
• The Blue Zone's projected statline: 4.5 PPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 RPG, 10.0 MPG
  

Season breakdown: Jones played a very interesting role on this year's team, and not quite the role fans were expecting when the DeSoto, Texas product committed to Duke. The guard was touted as a sharpshooter from day one, but struggled mightily from beyond the arc this season, connecting on just three of his 21 attempts from distance. On the season, Jones consistently struggled to find anything on offense, shooting just 29.4 percent from the floor in his freshman campaign, a figure that must improve as he ages. Jones did have a little more success getting to the free-throw line, but his struggles with his shot were on display from the charity stripe as well, shooting just 56.1 percent.

Where Jones did excel however, was on the defensive end. Praised as the most defense-ready freshman since Bobby Hurley and Tommy Amaker by head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Jones certainly lived up to the hype. The guard was a pest on the perimeter and was often called upon in key defensive possessions. With Tyler Thornton gone next season, Jones' defensive prowess could be in high demand on the perimeter.

Results relative to expectations: You can't help but to be disappointed in Jones' offense. People were hoping for the next Andre Dawkins when he stepped foot in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but were greeted with a jumper that looked like a knuckleball. The poor shooting seemed to take an effect on Jones himself as well, as he looked to be suffering from a crisis of confidence through the season. Following Duke's first meeting with Virginia, Jones nearly admitted as much. When asked about his ability to get to the line in that game, Jones said he didn't, "want to be the weakest link out there and make Coach K feel like I can’t do anything on offense." Despite his defensive proficiency, it will be on Jones to buck his offensive struggles as a sophomore.

In case you've missed it, we've already reviewed: Alex Murphy