Matthew Hurt has all the tools to be a plus Duke basketball defender

Duke basketball freshman star Matthew Hurt has all the potential to be a plus defender at the collegiate level, but it’s all about if Mike Krzyzewski can tap into that potential.

In his preseason press conference last month, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski called Matthew Hurt the most advanced freshman so far defensively. That was a little surprising to many because fellow freshman Wendell Moore is highly regarded for his defense by recruiting experts.

Though he’s known mostly for his shooting ability, Hurt has all the tools to be a plus defender.

If Krzyzewski lets him.

As many know, Krzyzewski loves to pressure the ball with his guards and big men beyond the three-point line. And with Duke being so young and inexperienced every year, that is tough — especially for big men — to do.

Even Wendell Carter Jr. struggled to guard in space and he was one of the best freshman defenders Duke has had.

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From the little footage of Hurt I’ve seen, I’ve noticed that he’s a smart defender who uses great anticipation to put himself in the right position.

Here he is defending Florida point guard Andrew Nembhard in the FIBA U18 tournament in 2018. Notice how he sags off of him and uses his length and footwork to force a tough shot, which ultimately leads to a turnover.

He’s not the quickest laterally but he’s smart and quick enough to keep college guards and wings in front of him, especially if he’s able to concede a jump shot to cut off driving lanes.

But will Krzyzewski’s system allow Hurt to defend like this?

That is the question but from everything we’ve seen, we shouldn’t get our hopes up.

My concern with Hurt coming into the year was how he was going be used on defense. And it didn’t take long at all for my concerns to be warranted.

Here is Hurt pressuring senior Jack White at Countdown to Craziness.

White was able to get past him with ease for the easy layup. There’s no need to pressure him that far out on the perimeter.

What’s going to happen when Hurt gets switched onto a guard and Krzyzewski asks him to put heavy ball pressure on him? It may not be pretty, and with no proven rim protectors on this Duke team, it’s going to lead to a lot of easy buckets.

If Krzyzewski doesn’t adjust his system to better fit his personnel, we will more than likely see Hurt and Vernon Carey struggle defending pick and rolls.

But if Hurt is allowed to do what he’s comfortable with and use his natural instincts and length, he will be part of what should be a good defensive Duke basketball team.