The Duke Blue Devils were put in a precarious position on Monday during the first half of their eventual overtime home loss to Syracuse. Standout freshman point guard Tre Jones dove for a loose ball and injured his right shoulder. It looked bad, and after the game, it was announced that Jones was out indefinitely due to an AC joint separation.
Duke’s point guard depth chart isn’t especially stellar, and Jones missing an extended period of time is a scary proposition for the Blue Devils, even if both R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish are capable of bringing the ball up the floor. However, in an interview with Dana O’Neil of The Athletic, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski revealed that things aren’t as perilous as they originally feared.
“I don’t know if it’s for this game or the next game, but it’s not going to be long term, where it’s a month or something,’’ Krzyzewski told O’Neil. “He’s going to be back.’’
Additionally, Coach K wouldn’t completely rule out Jones for this weekend’s showdown against Virginia against Cameron Indoor Stadium, even though he said it’s unlikely Jones plays. It’s a bit unfortunate, because watching the top-two teams in KenPom play at full strength would be a blast, but Jones is so important to what Duke does on both ends of the floor that bringing him back before he’s at 100 percent would be a gigantic risk.
Jones, a projected first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 29.3 minutes per game this season.
