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Duke’s Tyus Jones would be wise to return for sophomore season

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) reacts after scoring during the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the finals of the south regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) reacts after scoring during the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the finals of the south regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke PG Tyus Jones might be one of the most talented guards in the entire nation, but he isn’t quite NBA-ready.

Watching the 2015 NCAA Tournament, one guard stood out as one of the best backcourt players in the nation: Tyus Jones. The Duke Blue Devils were lucky to be led by Jones as well as top big man Jahlil Okafor all the way to a national title, Mike Krzyzewski’s fifth.

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However, Jones and Okafor are different in one major way — and it’s not height. Okafor is ready to make the leap to the NBA while Jones is not. Sure, you might be saying that Jones is one of the best guards that would be in this year’s draft, but that’s not what makes a solid NBA future.

You could be the most talented guy on the court, but you might not be ready to make the jump.

That’s the case for Jones. He’s one of the most outstanding players in the country, he even won the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award, but he’s not the most ready. There are so many things to learn as a point guard and one more year learning those things under Coach K is just what he needs.

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the 2015 NCAA Men /

As a freshman from Apple Valley, Minn., Jones was one of the better decision makers in college basketball, averaging 5.6 assists and just 1.9 turnovers per contest — almost a 3/1 assist-turnover ratio.

Along with his solid assist numbers, he was fourth on the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game while leading Duke with 1.5 steals per game. He showed his versatility by rising up and grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game — an impressive number for a 6-foot-1, 190-pound point guard.

However, it was his consistency from the field that may have held him back. Jones was decent from three-point range, shooting 38 percent, and pedestrian from the field, shooting just under 42 percent.

This inconsistency will kill guys at the next level. In fact, Jones needs to get his confidence on offense up far more than it was this season as he was sometimes timid when deciding whether to shoot a three or pass it down low to Okafor. That sometimes made him too Okafor-dependent.

In order to open up his game and truly become the star that he was born to be, he will need another year at Duke, despite his good friend Jahlil Okafor leaving this year.

Many top NBA Mock Drafts have Jones as a late-first round pick. In fact, ESPN’s Chad Ford has him as the No. 23 pick and so does CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish and Sam Vecenie.

A first-round stock is better than nothing, but one more year of seasoning in college under Coach K and Jones could be a top-five pick, avoiding the fate of guys like Tyler Ennis and Austin Rivers — solid role players who may never amount to anything but that.

One more year, Tyus. One more year.

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