Duke basketball: Top 10 ACC players for 2020-21 season
By Matt Giles
No. 6 in the ACC this season is the first Duke basketball player
player. 434. Pick Analysis. Sophomore. Forward. Matthew Hurt. 6. Scouting Report
According to the official Duke basketball roster and the player himself, Matthew Hurt beefed up by some 20 pounds over the summer — without adding any jelly rolls, reportedly — and is now a 6-foot-9, 235-pound sophomore.
Even better, Hurt, a former five-star recruit, claims to have put on the weight while working his tail off to boost the magnitude of the explosion he gets from what was a rather scrawny base.
Last season, Hurt showed glimpses of the game that led to his lofty ranking in high school, as he led Duke in 3-point field goals, knocking down 39.3 percent of his attempts from deep. Yet in light of erratic performances throughout ACC play when matched up against the likes of several others here on this list, his wrist-flick standing jumper was often stuck on the bench down the stretch.
Nevertheless, his performances in practices and workouts ever since returning to Durham now have his coaches, teammates, and family members all singing his praises. So we’ll give Matthew Hurt the benefit of the doubt…for now.