Duke basketball: Matthew Hurt should get drafted before Jalen Johnson
By Matt Giles
Why Matthew Hurt is Duke basketball’s best 2021 draft prospect: Shooting
The NBA now centers on forwards who can consistently supply splashes from downtown, both as a spot-up weapon and as a result of personalized space-creating fakes. Therefore, it’s safe to say franchises are always on the lookout for this exact type of proven entity.
On that note, try to remember — a tough ask of Duke basketball fans in one particular case, of course — the distinctly different shooting strokes of Matthew Hurt and Jalen Johnson.
Hurt’s form (see the highlight package above) has drawn comparisons to Larry Bird, specifically due to the manner in which he quickly flicks his wrist back above his head to achieve a high release point and often unguardable attempt.
True, there’s little liftoff to his jumper.
But anyone who is adamant that this limited athleticism should be a deal-breaker should set aside some time to watch guys like Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Georges Niang play considerable roles as savvy sharpshooters for the current league-leading Utah Jazz (46-18). Indeed, “Slow-Mo Joe” and “Minivan” are managing just fine in the NBA with heavy feet.
Hurt’s strong jab-step fakes and subsequent smooth fadeaways should land him in that same boat as a reliable contributor somewhere down the road.
ALSO READ: 4 reasons for Utah Jazz to eye draft prospect Matthew Hurt
As for Johnson, well, one obvious issue is that he ultimately provided only 18 college 3-point attempts from which to judge his technique.
Sure, he knocked down eight of them (44.4 percent). Yet in most games, Johnson appeared to either shy away from the shot completely or second-guess himself from deep. And that indecision certainly contributed to his 4.7 turnovers per 40 minutes.
Furthermore, Johnson’s three-ball motion looked to require significant time and space. In fairness, however, his prowess in driving to the hoop should translate to some NBA defenders having to leave him ample room to shoot on the perimeter. On the flip side, if he doesn’t trust his shot at all, he could become a cinch for equally athletic forwards to defend.
OK, back to Hurt. Oddly enough, he also shot 44.4 percent from 3-point land. Unlike Johnson, though, he attempted 5.3 per game on his way to earning hardware as both an All-ACC First Team selection and the ACC Most Improved Player.
Speaking of improvement, let’s look at the final reason that Hurt should go higher at the draft than Johnson…