He seems to be playing with a lot of confidence so far, a quiet confidence. I'm proud of him.
Matt Jones...
- Thread starter dbav
- Start date
I am very impressed with Matt this season, I hope to continue to eat crow as I thought he faded last year and was going to continue to fade, so glad I was wrong.
You thought he faded last year? Did you watch any of the second half of the year?
I'm sure he was faded after the game Saturday night. 21st birthday celebration
Haha.
Matt is a great leader, and I sure hope he can keep shooting the ball the way he has to begin the year. He is always going to do the little things, that is what helped him be a starter on a National Championship squad. But if he keeps shooting it the way he has, boy is Duke a lot better.
Matt is very underrated at moving without the ball and getting his shot. He has to be accounted for or he will go off!
So happy Matt has stayed with the program. It seems every year he is ask to take on a different role for his team and he does it willingly. I remember his recruitment and commit and how we all discussed what type of player he would be for Duke. I believe we all looked at him as somewhat of a shooter in the Andre Dawkins mold. He has become much more than that. A reliable scorer, a good free throw shooter and a really good defensive player for us. I imagine when we play UNC he will be given the task of guarding Paige. Next year more will be ask of him and once again he will accept that role. I think Matt may possibly be one of the most under appreciated players we've had a Duke and I am one of those fans. Coach K has a way of finding guys like Matt. OFC
And he was pretty much THE reason we beat Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.
I sometimes have to remind myself he's only a junior, he carries himself like a senior and by all accounts he is an excellent leader.
Matt is a very important cog in the machine. A really good leader, and he performs well on the big stage. However, make no mistake, this is Amiles' team. Those guys would run through a wall for him. I have no doubt. With our three captains, the young guys should thrive. I hope the boys feel disrespected in the polls. Man we are going to be good. Angry and good! OFC!
Outside of being a PG, I think he's having a pretty good year. I figured he was on the cusp of unlocking his Offense last year and his hard work is really paying off.
Matt Jones is my type of player. He is a hard worker, not overly talented but knows his limitations which in turn makes him an effective player. Defensively he and amile are our steady hands. But that's the way he plays and we need that. The ultimate glue guy. Dirty work player. Some of his stats don't show up on boxscores, but every team needs those players, and every championship team generally has those players. If he can continue to improve ball handling, keep perfecting that stroke, and attack the rim every so often then he will be golden. Defensively he gets it.
I looks like his ball handling is improving. It was pretty bad early on. However, I still get nervous when he puts the ball on the floor.
Matt is a great player with great instincts. In the age of one-and-done basketball he's the kind of guy who keeps teams (and programs) afloat with his leadership and savvy. He came in with Jabari who was here for one year. As a sophomore he watched three freshman become one-and-done. He's likely playing with Brandon for just one season, and next year there's another host of All-American freshman waiting in the wings.
In a sense, Matt is kind of one of a kind at Duke when you think about how many different "teams" he will have played on here by the time he leaves.
In a sense, Matt is kind of one of a kind at Duke when you think about how many different "teams" he will have played on here by the time he leaves.
Beginning of the year of would have never thought he would one of the main ball handlers. I'm happy to see his hard work and dedication paying off. I can't wait to see him to continue to improve and have a Nolan Smith type senior year.
That's a really cool point. When Matt leaves, he will have played with Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Brandon Ingram, Grayson Allen, Harry Giles, and Jayson Tatum, all of whom will be in the NBA (with some other potential future pros - guys like Thornton and Jackson).
He will have also played with great likely non-pros like Quinn Cook, Amile, and Marshall. Matt will probably have as diverse a four-years as any Duke player ever. Has any other Duke player ever played with (at least) nine pros during their time at Duke?
48% for three is fantastic. Great that he added a little floater to his offense. The floater still needs work -- his shooting arm is too far away from his body. He should tuck in the elbow more (like Seth Curry floater) to have it to another level. He has the quickness to make this into a real weapon.