What made Tre Jones a great Duke basketball point guard

Tre Jones as a Duke basketball freshman

In the 2018-19 season, Duke thrived on forcing turnovers and creating easy baskets in transition. Tre Jones quickly became one of the top on-ball defenders not only in the ACC but the entire country. His pressure on the ball allowed for RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish to be aggressive and opportunistic in the passing lanes.

The stifling on-ball defense from Jones completely disrupted the rhythm and flow of opposing teams’ offense. He forced the opposing teams to have to set their offense up way out near halfcourt, which allowed Duke to be more aggressive going for steals.

Watching the 2018-19 Blue Devils in transition was an absolute spectacle. I have never in my life seen a college team with such a unique combination of speed, athleticism, unselfishness, and finishing ability. Most of the time, it was Jones using his speed to glide past defenders then offer up a lob to Barrett or Williamson. But there were a few occasions where Jones was on the receiving end and used a nice up and under move to finish at the rim.

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It was apparent that Jones knew what his role was on that team. He was not the leading scorer or the guy to grab the headlines during his freshman season. However, Jones was the engine that made the team go and the glue that kept it all together.  This allowed for Williamson, Barrett, and Reddish to do the bulk of the scoring. Jones always brought intensity, energy, and playmaking every time he stepped out on the floor.

Tre Jones had so many memorable moments during his freshman season. One of my favorites was when Jones made Texas Tech point guard Matt Mooney look like he forgot how to dribble, using pressure defense to force him to lose his balance and dribble out of bounds. Jones also had an incredible 18-point, seven-assist performance against Florida State to help lead Duke to the ACC Tournament title.

Probably his best performance, though, came in the Sweet 16, a game played without Cam Reddish. Jones put up 22 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, to go along with eight assists and zero turnovers. It immediately became an all-time performance by a Duke point guard.

Unfortunately, Duke fell short that season in the Elite Eight against Michigan State. After the season ended, I fully expected Tre Jones to take the same route that the majority of Duke freshmen take these days: the one that leads to the NBA. He had a sensational freshman season, and I fully believed he would have been drafted.

However, Jones decided to return for his sophomore season. And it proved to be a great decision…