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Duke basketball: 50 best players to play for Coach K

By Matthew Travis

Nov 12, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski prior to a game against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski prior to a game against the Army Black Knights at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Best Duke Basketball Players
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

27. Tre Jones (2018-2020)

The first player to win an ACC Player of the Year Award on this list comes in at 27th, Tre Jones. There’s a very good chance Jones could have been higher on this list if it weren’t for COVID-19, but because of COVID-19, we were never able to see Jones lead the Blue Devils through the ACC and NCAA Tournaments in 2020.

Jones got to Duke in 2018-19 as part of a team that included Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish, that being said, the expectations for the 2018-19 Blue Devils were through the roof. Duke only somewhat lived up to those expectations in Jones’ freshman year as they won the ACC Tournament, before losing in the Elite Eight to Michigan State.

Jones didn’t live up to his full potential in 2018-19 because there was only one ball to go around for a bunch of stars, and because of that, he wasn’t as impressive as he was in 2019-20. Jones averaged 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as the ACC Player of the Year.