Duke basketball: Coach K draws ridicule for recent comments

Former Duke basketball point guard Tre Jones has a big supporter in Durham.

On Friday, by saying what he did about Tre Jones on NBA TV, proud Duke basketball homer Mike Krzyzewski absolutely set himself up for snide remarks on social media, such as the following funny one from some anonymous NBA fan (in the comment section of the tweet below):

“My grandma thinks I’m the most handsome man in the world.”

So what did Krzyzewski say about Jones to trigger grandmother jokes and the likes in advance of the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday?

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Well, first, let’s just say that LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony, and a few of the other top point guards on draft boards right now would surely disagree with the 73-year-old Hall of Famer’s “biased” sentiment:

“I’d take Tre in a heartbeat. I think he’s the best point guard in the draft — and leader. And he’s another guy that can come in and play right away.”

Most experts would argue there are five or so point guards better suited for the NBA than Jones, who appears anywhere from the middle of the first round to the middle of the second round on recent mock drafts. Nevertheless, Coach K continued providing anecdotes and claims to back up his strong words about the 2019-20 ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year:

“If you want to run, there’s nobody better in passing ahead than him. When I first saw him when we recruited [eventual Duke one-and-done and current Memphis Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones], I watched Tre play quarterback for a seventh-and-eighth-grade team. And he was magical out there…”

OK, maybe the five-time Duke basketball national champ is a granny at heart

Krzyzewski still wasn’t finished. Rather, the all-time NCAA wins leader next addressed a misconception about the athleticism of Duke basketball treasure Tre Jones:

“In two years here…he kept becoming a better athlete. A little bit of the knock I hear is they’re not sure how good of an athlete he is. Since the end of the school year, he’s been out in L.A. at P3 and has become even a better athlete.”

Nope, Coach K still wasn’t ready to rest his case about Jones:

“And he can defend the ball. He showed in his sophomore year that he can shoot the ball. He’s a leader. There aren’t that many leaders. What’s the analytics for leadership? … He’s the best leader. He’s a winner, and he’ll fight you. He can play right away. And everyone will love to play with him because he passes the ball, he defends the ball…”

There is more. Yet let’s just cut Coach K off right there. Yes, just agree with him, for he’s made his point — and then some. Besides, at this point in his sermon on the sanctity of Tre Jones, there is clearly not a single Grammy, Mamaw, Mimi, or Nana out there who could have said it any better.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Tre Jones and the 2020 NBA Draft plus other news and views relating to all things Duke basketball.