If not for the focus on his 6-foot-11 teammate Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones would be having an All-American freshman season. It may take the big guy leaving for the NBA to appreciate how good Jones is now and will be in the future.
The 6-1 Jones, who won a Minnesota State 4A title in high school and three FIBA gold medals as part of USA Basketball, is the ultimate winner with a nearly complete college point guard package. In fact, the word best used to describe him is "poised."
Playing as a freshman at Duke is challenging enough because of the bull's-eye that the Blue Devils play with versus every opponent on the schedule. But while being a freshman point guard for Mike Krzyzewski comes with its own set of challenges, it's clear he has met his coach's high standards.
Jones, in fact, has been at his best in Duke's biggest games this season. Against the Blue Devils' six ranked opponents, he is averaging 15.3 points on 55 percent shooting from the floor and 47 percent behind the arc. Plus, in those six games, he has posted an impressive 29-to-4 assist-to-turnover mark.
The first thing that jumps out about Jones' game is his great vision and pinpoint passing ability. He makes long "lay it out front" passes in transition effortlessly. In the half court, he moves the ball instinctively to the correct teammate without it sticking in his own hands.
When I watch point guards on tape, I like to rewind the play a few times to see what the player is "seeing" when he begins to make a play. I try to notice the point on the tape that he realizes his teammate is open. This is where Jones excels because he is always thinking one move ahead of the defense.
This play is a perfect example. Watch how Jones finds Justise Winslow on this game-tying pass late in Duke's win at No. 2 Virginia. He knows that Winslow is open under the basket before the pass out from Okafor even hits his hands.
Not blessed with extraordinary quickness, Jones knows how to change speeds to keep defenders at bay. His ability to go from slow to fast allows him to beat defenders to the lane off the dribble.
Although Jones is involved in the pick-and-roll only 14 percent of the time on offensive possessions, he is in the top 2 percent of efficiency in college basketball, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
In this pick-and-roll play against Florida State, watch how Jones uses his quickness to split the Seminoles' trap with a quick change-of-direction dribble into the paint. At the same time, he spots teammate Marshall Plumlee behind the defense on the weak side and drops off a pass that leads to an easy dunk.
Although Jones is shooting only 52 percent at the rim in the half court, he has the potential for a proficient "floater game" because he has a good shooting touch and good body balance. This is a must for a point guard of Jones' stature.
By comparison, here is a cross-section of some of the top point guards in college basketball and their ability to make shots at the rim, according to hoop-math.com.
Watch how Jones gets by 6-5 Virginia freshman Devon Hall, changes speeds and gets to the basket. Jones is very good at using the backboard to "deaden his shot" because the quicker he gets to the rim, the softer the shot must become while he is on the move.
Jones has proved to be a very good outside shooter. He is shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line and is shooting 46 percent in half-court possessions. As impressive is that his combination of poise and shooting ability make him seemingly impervious to pressure.
This late-game "dagger" 3-point shot at Virginia put the Blue Devils up six and shut the door on the Cavaliers' chance to win the game.
There are areas where Jones can certainly improve. He is not an explosive athlete, so versus top-level defenders he does not get into the lane as easily off the dribble without the use of ball screens.
That same lack of elite foot speed challenges him as a defender. Numerous times this season he has struggled to keep the ball in front of him. While he is not Duke's only culprit in that area, it is a reason why Krzyzewski has used a zone more this season than in any previous campaign I can remember.
In guarding Virginia's London Perrantes, watch how flat-footed Jones is as Perrantes turns the corner and drives to the basket. Jones is upright and not in position athletically to recover and get in front of the ball.
This lack of elite athleticism will be problematic at the NBA level if Jones cannot compensate. Some tout him as a one-and-done to enter the NBA draft, but I am not sure that is the wise move.
In Jones' favor are his age and physical maturity, as he does not turn 19 years old until May. Combine that with all the outstanding qualities he possesses at the moment and he'll have NBA opportunities in the future. I believe, however, that at the moment he is on the fringe of the first round of the NBA draft.
More importantly, Jones' freshman season has been a huge success. There have been some outstanding freshman point guards at Duke under Coach K, beginning with current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker. The names are now familiar: Hurley, Jay-Will, Wojo and Kyrie. It's fair to say that, two-thirds of the way through the Blue Devils' 2014-15 season, Jones' name that belongs on that list.