Duke isn’t the same team without Tre Jones

Duke suffered a dramatic home defeat to Syracuse in overtime on Monday night, but that wasn’t all the Blue Devils lost. Freshman point guard Tre Jones exited just six minutes into the game after colliding with Syracuse’s Franklin Howard, and did not return.

Jones laid on the floor for a few minutes before eventually walking off. You can watch the play here:

After the game, Duke said Jones will be out indefinitely with a separated AC joint in his right shoulder. There’s no timetable for Jones’ return yet, but Duke is expecting him to miss time:

Jones’ absence was immediately noticeable for Duke. The Blue Devils opened the game on a 12-0 run thanks in large part to Jones’ defensive pressure. He had four steals and two assists in his six minutes on the floor.

Without him, the Blue Devils failed to find a rhythm offensively against Syracuse’s zone. Even more significant was the absence of Jones’ ball pressure defensively.

We don’t know how long Jones will be out, but do know this is a major blow for Duke as long as he’s out.

Tre Jones is the starting freshman point guard for the Blue Devils. He is the younger brother of Tyus Jones, who helped lead Duke to a national championship as a freshman point guard in 2015.

Jones led Apple Valley High School in Minnesota to two state titles before leaving for Duke. He was ranked as the No. 2 point guard and No. 17 overall prospect by ESPN. He was named a McDonald’s All-American.

Jones was averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game before the injury, but his impact was much bigger than that.

Duke played fast this year with Tre Jones at the controls. After finishing No. 93 in pace a year ago, the Blue Devils are No. 7 in tempo this season, according to KenPom.

Of course, this is a different team. Last season, Duke was built around two star big men in Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. This season Duke has four star perimeter players, with Jones setting the table as the point guard.

The other big difference for Duke this year? Its defense. The Blue Devils were a disaster on defense a year ago, forcing coach Mike Krzyzewski to switch to zone midway through the year. This season, Duke is back to playing man defense defined by ball pressure at the point of attack. Jones is the head of the snake in that regard, often hounding opposing ball handlers with full court pressure.

Right now, Duke’s defense is as good as its offense, ranking No. 4 in efficiency on both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils’ other star freshmen get all the attention, but watch closely and you’ll see Jones forcing the action.

On Zion Williamson’s instant classic 360 dunk against Wake Forest? Yeah, Jones helped force the steal:

On R.J. Barrett’s cuts to the basket? Jones was often the man feeding him:

Williamson is going to be the first pick in the draft. There’s a chance Barrett goes No. 2 and Reddish goes No. 3 overall. Obviously, the Blue Devils are still hyper talented even without Jones. But when it comes to impact on winning, Jones’ loss can’t be discounted.

Jones is projected as a likely first round pick and possible lottery selection himself. He’s not a great shooter and lacks ideal NBA size at point guard, but he’s such a smart player and competes with a toughness and intensity on both ends that elevates the play of everyone around him.

Without him, Alex O’Connell and Jordan Goldwire will be asked to step up. This also means Barrett will have the ball in his hands more, which might not necessarily be a good thing. Barrett scored 23 points against Syracuse, but he needed 30 shots to get there.

Don’t get it twisted: this is a huge loss for Duke. The Blue Devils’ national championship odds would take a big hit if Jones can’t return.

Next up for the Blue Devils? A date with Virginia, one of the best teams in college basketball. Jones’ absence will be felt right away.