Matt Jones this season..
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While I think he'll still have a moderately big role, I suspect that the general drop in talent around him will negatively impact his playing time as the season proceeds. Last year, we had so much offensive firepower with the other 4 starters that we could get away with giving big minutes to a guy who couldn't really create his own offense and was hit or miss as a spot up shooter. Not sure the roster around him will be good enough to allow for a wing player who's not a strong offensive threat -- particularly when we play a bigger lineup.
I think he will take the next step. Better scorer, better leader, smarter player.
ON the contrary, I think we'll have a TON of offensive firepower on this team. Guys who can get their own shot as well as create for others- DT, GA, LK, BI can all do each of those things exceptionally well. I think Matty plays a significant role this year- leadership & experience for sure, but I really liked how much he's grown as a player from year one to year two and expect a big jump this year as well. He hit a lot of pump fake step back threes in big moments this year and expect him to continue to add pieces to his game. He dramatically improved his shooting and expect him to get even more consistent as his role increases and his voice is heard- that's big from a confidence standpoint.
I think we have good talent, but I don't think our Freshman this year are on the level of our Freshman from last year -- as I just don't think the 2015 class really stacks up against the 2014 or 2016 classes. BI has nice scoring promise, but b/c he's neither a great slasher or a post player -- he's inherently not able to easily draw multiple defenders to open up other players. I think we'll be able to score next year -- but i don't think it will be anything like last year, where we were borderline unguardable when we had to be. The huge difference between last year and some other years is that our offense was not just good in the aggregate, but consistently made plays when we got caught in close matchups. Even the one real exception -- @ ND -- we consistently made scoring plays. Jah just missed the foul shots.
Definitely going to be instrumental in terms of leadership and defense. Also, I think he continues his hot streak from 3 at the end of last season and becomes our most consistent 3-point threat.
I don't totally disagree with aah's points and I think it's a fair assessment. But I also think Matt will make the necessary strides this coming season. He's now a national champion, captain and team leader. Yes he was the forgotten guy last year which made it easier to find points at times, but he improved leaps and bounds from his freshman to sophomore campaign. That counts for something to me when I assess his expected contributions for the 2015-16 season. Of our four returnees, he and Amile are the only one's who found themselves in the wars every night. That plays a vital role, IMO.
I feel weird saying this jay, but I sort of agree with aah, too. Matt is a supporting role guy. He is who he is. We've seen juniors make the leap under K. Those guys however had a base skill set that they made better. Matt will essentially have to change who he is.
Now there is precedent with Matt. He really reshaped his game as a junior in high school. You might even argue that his concentration on being a total player hurt his best ability which is shooting. So if he mirrors his improvement from high school (which a lot of guys do see Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee for instance) then we will see the Matt we were hoping for.
Now there is precedent with Matt. He really reshaped his game as a junior in high school. You might even argue that his concentration on being a total player hurt his best ability which is shooting. So if he mirrors his improvement from high school (which a lot of guys do see Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee for instance) then we will see the Matt we were hoping for.
I actually expect Matt to expand his offense a little further. He's come close in both seasons, but I think he really starts to put it together this season.
I've stated it in the past. Matt is a role player. He will help the team win, but I don't expect him to have a big impact.
Those are not universally exclusive though. He can be a role player and have a huge impact...in fact i believe he did that this year. We dont win the elite 8 game without him.
I wouldn't be surprised if Matts game progressed in the same way as Nolan's. not saying that he'll be as good as Nolan, but I wouldn't be shocked if his production jumped significantly this year
Lmao, ok Timo. He won't be an impact player, is that better? A role player and an impact player are completely different you see.
So role players don't have an impact? That doesn't even kind of make sense.
If you're saying he won't be one of our two or three leading scorers then I think we agree....but something tells me that's not what you're saying. I guess the argument is what one defines as a role player or impact player. They're not mutually exclusive, IMO.
If you're saying he won't be one of our two or three leading scorers then I think we agree....but something tells me that's not what you're saying. I guess the argument is what one defines as a role player or impact player. They're not mutually exclusive, IMO.
Agreed. This argument is a non-sequitur. I can't imagine a scenario where Matt doesn't play at least 15-20 minutes a night, and often significantly helps the team with his defense, toughness, and, at times, good perimeter shooting. In other words, he's going to make an impact. The only question here is whether Matt is going to go from a sporadic starter whose minutes fluctuate from night-to-night, and opponent-to-opponent into a core starter who's going to get 30-35 minutes every night -- ala Quinn Cook last year. In my view, the latter is probably unlikely in view of the composition of the roster and the other guys we have at the 2 and 3 (Grayson, Ingram, Kennard) -- as those are likely going to be our 3 most dynamic scorers. The other relevant factor will be how Grayson develops. If Grayson emerges as a star player who can consistently create offense, I think that obviously cuts right into Jones's minutes. My guess would be that we end up with a starting lineup of Thornton, Grayson, Ingram and that Matt will get about 20 minutes a night backing up the 2 and the 3, with the possibility of more on nights where we go small with Ingram at the 4.
I'm gonna go with Grayson, or Kennard as the most consistent outside shooters. Regardless, hopefully all can shoot at a high clip from deep.
The big thing here is that based off of a small sample size, we're expecting a sophomore Grayson to be that much better than a Junior Matt. Remember, for much of the season, Grayson couldn't find time and Matt was a starter. I think Grayson also has some proving to do. He's a part of some scouting reports now, so will his game translate?
Matt is still a bit of an unknown, so there is a chance that his skills vastly improve. There is a chance. I think Matt is a little more proven than Grayson at this point. Not by much, but he will get the nod at first if it comes to it. I don't see K throwing Grayson to wolves just because of the Championship game and Wake game.
Matt is still a bit of an unknown, so there is a chance that his skills vastly improve. There is a chance. I think Matt is a little more proven than Grayson at this point. Not by much, but he will get the nod at first if it comes to it. I don't see K throwing Grayson to wolves just because of the Championship game and Wake game.
I recall that basketball is a game of offense AND defense. I think Matt gets PT because of his tenacity on defense and it benefits his game on the other side of the court.
@dukehockie -- I think Grayson is better. Maybe I am too enamored with the championship game -- but I have not seen Jones take over a game like Grayson did. I think Jones' season high was 17 points last season. Grayson will prove himself next season -- I am going out on a limb and say that he is in the top-2 scorers on the team.
That said -- I think next year we'll see a fair distribution of players in the beginning till conference play and then the final starters will be set. Jones will become more dependable / reliable in his production. I think he gets less minutes then last year and he does more with them.
@dukehockie -- I think Grayson is better. Maybe I am too enamored with the championship game -- but I have not seen Jones take over a game like Grayson did. I think Jones' season high was 17 points last season. Grayson will prove himself next season -- I am going out on a limb and say that he is in the top-2 scorers on the team.
That said -- I think next year we'll see a fair distribution of players in the beginning till conference play and then the final starters will be set. Jones will become more dependable / reliable in his production. I think he gets less minutes then last year and he does more with them.
I agree that defense and leadership are Matt's strong points and he will continue to grow in those areas. He will have his moments when he lights it up in spurts but i still can see him being over shadowed by some of the elite talent we will have on offense. All in all i like Matt as a player and he will definitely contribute to this teams success.
I think when the dust settles next year this will be Grayson's team. yeah they'll be scouting for him but he's talented and his confidence is sky high. I think what you'l see from him is a guy that knows he'll be on the court during significant parts of the game, and that reassurance and confidence will continue to show in his performance. He might not be our leading scorer next season but he will, in my opinion, be our best overall player.
It's not like he doesn't have the tools. And he's got a junkyard dog's attitude on the court. If he's as good as we hope, this team will be in play with the top 4-5 teams for a title.
Freshman struggle defensively, at least early on they do. Matt will most definitely get heavy minutes. If he continues to progress he will keep those minutes all year. If the frosh close the gap and become consistently engaged on both sides of the court, his minutes may go down. There is big value in a lock down defender and Matt can be that no matter what level of talent is around him.
Matt leadership will be very helpful with the younger players.
I just have to take a moment of pause. Feeling extremely lucky (and a little embarrassed) that we have the luxury of discussing what our perceptions are of an upper classman's skill and future contribution will be next year. He is not my favorite player on my favorite team, but he is a big component of my favorite team -- on and off the court, in the game and in practice. He is an OUTSTANDING guy. Thank you Mr. Jones!
WRT Grayson -- he is the other team's nightmare. Leave him outside -- he'll jack the 3. Try and guard him to close and he'll blow by you. Try to block the shot and leave your feet then you are going to foul him. If you foul him, he will make the free throws. If you double team him, someone else is open. He is a nightmare in Duke Blue.
WRT Grayson -- he is the other team's nightmare. Leave him outside -- he'll jack the 3. Try and guard him to close and he'll blow by you. Try to block the shot and leave your feet then you are going to foul him. If you foul him, he will make the free throws. If you double team him, someone else is open. He is a nightmare in Duke Blue.
IMO Allen will have trouble living up to expectations this year and Matt will make a jump in production. There are a lot of Duke players who have made big jumps when needed...going beyond what their "potential" seemed to suggest they were capable of.
It is easy to remember Nolan and Scheyer at their peek but just a year before we no one knew they could get to the level they did. Same with guys like Z...Mason...Battier and many others who seemed to reach an unexpected level.
The key for Matt is whether the 3 falls on offense. If it does his game might expand quickly.
Defensively Matt has great instincts but made a lot of overly aggressive choices. He could be a special player on D this year.
It is easy to remember Nolan and Scheyer at their peek but just a year before we no one knew they could get to the level they did. Same with guys like Z...Mason...Battier and many others who seemed to reach an unexpected level.
The key for Matt is whether the 3 falls on offense. If it does his game might expand quickly.
Defensively Matt has great instincts but made a lot of overly aggressive choices. He could be a special player on D this year.
I really don't think Allen has that high of expectations being put on him. I think his final four run was amazing and has been forgotten. You are bringing in some huge talent. It's not like when you look at allen you see huge minutes, production, or top rankings of his class. You see a few huge games/moments and a lot of potential. Plus that "easy to hate him because he plays for duke look". I'm sure the team is putting high expectations on him as they should. If you tell me he ends up playing a lot more minutes than Matt I think that's a very good thing (barring injury).
With Matt, he's not going to get any bigger or more athletic, and he's most likely not going to completely change his shot. So he is a person that will and should only take wide open 3's because his release is difficult to get off with how he shoots it when a defender is close. Matt needs to step his D up to another level and set the tone defensively, hit open wide openshots, and be a great heads up player. If he does this I see a 20 minutes a game player.
If the team can learn defensive chemistry and play good defense Matt will be extremely important IMHO, if the team struggles defensively then his D won't be much use and we will need more capable offensive players. Having Matt and Amile on the court at the same time really puts pressure on the other 3 players to create offensively. I'm very curious to see Thornton's confidence level and what he will be like on the court.
I think you may need to rethink this post. You come of as very naive.
Matt improved a lot from his freshman year. He did almost everything better. Now, going back to aahs point, it could be in part because of the talent around him, but I think he will at the very least improve some. Matt can score if that is what is asked but make no mistake, he will be a defensive player who will have an impact. Just like he was a year ago. He got better and better defensively as the year went on. To the point where he was really a stopper late in the year.
IMPACT PLAYER.... To me an impact player is someone that has a large affect on every game no matter how well they play or not. He makes those around him better by drawing attention/double teams, incredible D, other teams game plan around them, creates for others, etc. With that being my definition I don't think Matt will be an impact player on most nights, nor do I think Duke needs him to be. I think he needs to lead, get the team to play solid D, hit open 3s, and play smart bball. The team needs more than that out of Thornton, Allen, and Ingram. Duke needs Thornton to be an impact player ever night as Tyus was. Tyus didn't have a great game every night but he always made a huge impact and led the team from the PG position.
To me being called an Impact Player is a heck of a compliment and I just don't see Matt getting to that level in my eyes, and if he does become one it's probably not a good thing as other players with more potential would be struggling.
To me being called an Impact Player is a heck of a compliment and I just don't see Matt getting to that level in my eyes, and if he does become one it's probably not a good thing as other players with more potential would be struggling.
So Matt Jones, despite begin the teams best perimeter defender last year (especially the second half of the year) was not an impact player? Think about that for a minute.....To me it is very clear that Matt Jones wasan impact player last year.
What get nasty described is a superstar player.
What get nasty described is a superstar player.
To me impact players make and impact every night, matt jones did not. I would also argue that tyus was as good if not better as a defender and grayson played his arse of the last few games and IMHO was playing better D those few games. Matt was a solid defender with some limitations.
I don't think i went as far to say superstar player. In my eyes there are only are less than 10 superstar players in the nba, but there are a lot more impact players that are game planned around and make huge contributions every night. It's all subjective, but that's my take. For an example Lebron = superstar, deandre Jordan = impact in my eyes.
Tyus was a better defender than Matt? Were we watching the same team? I think Tyus would be the first person to tell you that you're dead wrong on that. And while i love grayson and think he was an underrated defender, he was not a better defender than matt.