Duke basketball: Matthew Hurt shoots lights out in front of franchise
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball draft prospect Matthew Hurt is looking to make a late jump.
The most recent aggregate mock draft ranks Duke basketball product Matthew Hurt No. 60 overall. That, of course, would equate to the last pick of the second round. So with the July 29 NBA Draft just around the corner, it’s safe to say the 2020-21 ACC Most Improved Player needs all the help he can get if he is to hear his name 11 days from now.
As Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype detailed at the time, June’s NBA Draft Combine likely only hurt his stock:
"“Duke’s Matthew Hurt had a tough few days, measuring with the second-highest body fat (15.2 percent) and the third-slowest three-quarter sprint (3.34 seconds) among all combine participants before shooting just 1-for-4 from the field in his first five-on-five scrimmage. Hurt responded with 14 points in his second scrimmage.”"
Matthew Hurt now doing what the Duke basketball sniper does best
On Friday, Hurt was one of six prospects to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers, who own one pick in the first round (No. 22) and none in the second. Then on Saturday morning, the former five-star recruit out of Minnesota dazzled a bit in front of the Houston Rockets, who boast three picks in the first round (Nos. 2, 23, and 24) and none in the second.
And according to Charlie Max Torres, who’s best known as Klay Thompson’s trainer but has recently been working with Hurt, he went 75-for-100 from downtown as Houston brass looked on.
That’ll work.
Duke's projected starters for next season. dark. Next
Last season, which was Hurt’s second with the Blue Devils, the 6-foot-9 stretch-four knocked down 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (56-for-126) on his way to finishing with the conference’s highest offensive rating (132.5). He averaged 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds for a 13-11 Duke squad, earning All-ACC First Team honors.