Matt Jones
- Year: Junior
- Height: 6-foot-5
- Position: Guard
- This year’s stat line: 31.8 MPG, 10.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG
- The Blue Zone’s predicted stat line: 33.0 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Season breakdown:
After helping the Blue Devils win a national title in 2015, Jones was looked upon as a leader of a young Duke team. With the trio of Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones headed to the NBA, the junior needed to pick up his scoring to help the team stay productive on the offensive end. He spent most of his time playing on the wing as a shooting guard or small forward, but occasionally handled point guard duties when freshman Derryck Thornton wasn’t in the game.
Throughout the season, Jones typically matched up against the opposing team’s top player, and more often than not, he delivered. Against then-No. 7 Virginia, the DeSoto, Texas, native was primarily matched up against either standout guard Malcolm Brogdon or forward Anthony Gill. Although the duo scored 30 points, Jones forced them to shoot the ball 27 times in order to reach that mark.
In the NCAA Tournament, Jones' defense was just as valuable. Against 12th-seeded Yale, Jones played just 20 minutes before fouling out and did not score, but helped hold standout guard Makai Mason to just 8 points on 2-of-12 shooting in a 71-64 victory.
Offensively for Jones, it was a tale of two halves. In the first half of the season, Jones was the player that we expected to be and more. He scored at least 10 points in 13 of his first 16 games, tacking on some steals, assists and rebounds to help the team out. But in his next 19 games, he was only able to score in double figures six times.
The 6-foot-5 guard sprained his ankle early in the Blue Devils' 74-73 win on the road Feb. 17 against then-No. 5 North Carolina, missing the rest of that game and sitting out Duke's next contest against Louisville. Jones returned to the floor to start the last nine games of the year, but was never quite the same player he was before the injury and fouled out of three of the Blue Devils' last six games.
Results relative to expectations:
Jones fulfilled expectations as a defensive stopper, consistently holding opposing stars to off nights. He became more valuable on the offensive side of the ball than he was as an underclassman, averaging double figures in scoring for the first time in his three years in Durham. Although he struggled to score during the last stretch of the season, his defense was spectacular, and his ability to hit from downtown forced defenders to close out aggressively on him without giving the junior any open looks. Jones was a factor on both sides of the floor and will be a valuable senior leader on a young and talented team next season.
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