Duke basketball: Matthew Hurt supposedly solves No. 1 problem

Is a strengthened sophomore scorer in store for the Duke basketball season?

At this time last year, Matthew Hurt was a rail-thin 6-foot-9 Duke basketball freshman, reportedly struggling to bench 135 pounds.

As a consequence, despite exhibiting an efficient 3-point stroke (a team-high 42 makes at 39.7 percent) and the potential to light up scoreboards (an average of 18.6 points per 40 minutes), that supposedly 214-pound version of Hurt averaged half of each game on the bench.

Whenever the stretch-four saw extended stays in the doghouse of Mike Krzyzewski, the reason seemed to be that Hurt would otherwise have been at the mercy of grown-men big men on the court, particularly in ACC play. Though largely due to his slight build, the former McDonald’s All-American also, at times, appeared to lack the necessary hustle and/or wherewithal, especially during chaotic sequences, to live up to his five-star billing out of high school.

ALSO READ: Three former Duke players for Matthew Hurt to study

Fast forward. According to a tweet on Friday from Hurt’s father, Rich, the Minnesota native arrived back in Durham a few weeks ago at 240 pounds, an increase roughly equivalent to two average bowling balls, and “got 50,000+ shots up since the end of March.”

But the extra bulk on didn’t translate into a bowling ball for a gut. Rather, the brief highlights from Duke’s recent workouts do indeed suggest that Matthew Hurt spent his summer with dumbbells fastened to both hands. Most impressive, though, and also arguably most important, is the 20-year-old’s sturdier-looking base.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1296881478396239872?s=20

Plus, it’s worth noting the music to Duke basketball ears that Matthew Hurt’s older brother, former Minnesota Gophers backup forward Michael Hurt, tweeted in response to their dad:

“Got to work him out a lot during quarantine, and he got a hell of a lot better. Functional strength and ability to take contact…he’s ready.”

The transformation could pay dividends for Matthew Hurt and Duke basketball

By packing on the pounds, further purifying his shooting stroke, and maybe even toughening up a bit, Matthew Hurt has certainly bettered his chances to please NBA scouts in his second college campaign.

Team-wise, though, he has gifted the 2020-21 Blue Devils with a potentially lethal small-ball center; of course, he’d need to drastically improve upon his 3.8 rebounds per game as a rookie. Hurt’s presence in such a lineup could be a catalyst for hard-to-guard spacing and consistent barrages of Duke 3-pointers.

However, it probably wouldn’t hurt to spend the final few months leading up to the season — crossing fingers when typing “season” — chiseling off one of the two bowling balls he added while back at home. A 225-230 playing weight would probably be ideal. After all, Hurt wasn’t exactly The Flash when carrying around 214 pounds.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Matthew Hurt plus other Duke basketball news and views.