Tyus Jones
Statline: Monday, Jan. 19 vs. Pittsburgh: 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 from 3-point range, 4-of-5 from the free throw line, four assists; Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. St. John's: 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 2-of-5 from 3-point range, 10-of-10 from the free throw line, six assists and four rebounds
The good: Jones rose to the occasion with his team needing great point guard play to handle the pressure of earning head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 999th and 1,000th wins this week. The Apple Valley, Minn., native continued his momentum from a strong effort Jan. 17 at then-No. 6 Louisville with two more big offensive games this week after a slow start to 2015. Every time the Panthers got close to making a comeback in Monday's game, it seemed like Jones had an answer offensively to maintain a comfortable margin for Duke.
Sunday against St. John's, the 6-foot-1 floor general once again rose to the occasion under the bright lights, scoring eight points in the final three minutes, including a dagger 3-pointer, to help the Blue Devils finish a 21-4 run and hold off the Red Storm. Jones has a knack for making winning plays in crunch time and his poise was on display once again in Duke's two games this week. Jones was named the ACC Co-Rookie of the Week for his strong play.
The bad: Although Jones came up clutch with his play-making this week, he committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers and made several ill-advised passes. At times, the Blue Devil offense seemed stagnant, especially Sunday, so consistently taking care of the ball for 40 minutes will have to be a priority going forward for Jones and company with contests at No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 2 Virginia on the docket this week.
Staying in front of opponents off the dribble, especially in transition, has also been an issue for Jones at times due to the speed of the college game, and a few times St. John's and Pittsburgh took advantage of lackluster transition defense from the Blue Devils. Jones is obviously not the sole reason for Duke's defensive issues, but doing a better job staying in front of opposing guards and contesting shots as a smaller point guard is another area in which he can improve.
The bottom line: Jones is a winner. He showed it at Louisville and came up huge when the Blue Devils needed him to again this week. At 4-2 in the ACC, Duke faces two critical games this week if it wants to stay in the race for the ACC regular season title, but if Jones continues playing like a veteran in the big moments, the Blue Devils have to like their chances. Many people were writing Duke off after the Blue Devils fell behind by double digits in the second half and had Rasheed Sulaimon, Amile Jefferson and Justise Winslow sitting on the bench late Sunday, but Jones showed the competitiveness that makes him an elite point guard and ignited the Blue Devils' late charge.
Honorable mention: Many will overlook his contributions late in Sunday's game, but Duke did not have much success inside on either end in the second half until Marshall Plumlee was inserted to play alongside Jahlil Okafor. The redshirt junior center delivered, scoring two points and adding five critical rebounds off the bench as the Blue Devils made their push. Duke ended the game with a 38-34 edge in points in the paint and Okafor seemed much more comfortable on the defensive end knowing there was another big man to protect the rim.
Plumlee providing a much-needed lift up front off the bench was huge for the Blue Devils, but his off-the-court accomplishment of signing his Army ROTC contract Friday before practice was also a special one for Krzyzewski and his teammates, who were on hand for the ceremony. Some people forget Plumlee is in his fourth year with the Duke basketball program, so anything the 7-footer can keep doing to provide leadership and a boost will only help an inexperienced squad continue growing as a unit.
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