Is Luke a better player than Matt Jones?

[matthew1]

Jones is an awesome upperclassmen and leader. No doubt about that. His experience alone will make him a better player at this time.

Jones has a very slow and winding release. His athleticism is questionable but descent. He is a good shooter but csn be very streaky at times. He is driving to the hoop a little more this year which will help him. I don't really see the jump shot or short game from him.

Luke is totally opposite. He is not overly athletic but will surprise you with his basketball IQ and quickness. His shot is very quick and persistent. His release his quick and calm. He keeps his arms tucked in and follow through stays. His handles are very underrated. He can drill the jumper orb take you to the hole at any time. He can dunk the ball with authority if he needs to. He can spot up for three at anytime or rum point because of his knowledge of the game. At 6'5, that will be an advantage.

Again, Jones will probably start in the beginning but don't be surprised if Luke takes the job. You don't achieve Mr. Ohio and break Lebron James scoring record to sit on the bench. What are yalls thoughts?

 

[timo0402]

Jones is an awesome upperclassmen and leader. No doubt about that. His experience alone will make him a better player at this time.

Jones has a very slow and winding release. His athleticism is questionable but descent. He is a good shooter but csn be very streaky at times. He is driving to the hoop a little more this year which will help him. I don't really see the jump shot or short game from him.

Luke is totally opposite. He is not overly athletic but will surprise you with his basketball IQ and quickness. His shot is very quick and persistent. His release his quick and calm. He keeps his arms tucked in and follow through stays. His handles are very underrated. He can drill the jumper orb take you to the hole at any time. He can dunk the ball with authority if he needs to. He can spot up for three at anytime or rum point because of his knowledge of the game. At 6'5, that will be an advantage.

Again, Jones will probably start in the beginning but don't be surprised if Luke takes the job. You don't achieve Mr. Ohio and break Lebron James scoring record to sit on the bench. What are yalls thoughts?

I guess my thoughts are what is the point of this- but i'll digress on that b/c it is a duke basketball board so let's do it. I think they're different players that play the same position. Matt's strengths are his leadership, defense and knowing/understanding his role. He's got the track record (in only 2 years) and the experience to be a huge impact player and leader.

Luke, no one will question the kid as a scorer. He's got moxy too, which is awesome. Who's a better player? i dont think in terms of potential and talent anyone will deny Luke isn't the better "player." But what i would say is how much those two players complement each other. I think they can play together at the same time and form a fantastic 2-3. Put BI at the 4 and DT at the 1 and thats a really versatile 1-5.

It just shows the versatility of this entire team. Rather than pin one against the other, see how or who is the best combination lineup we can put out there in different situations.

 

[1156jack]

Jones is a better defender. But this is a young team that needs a consistent go to player or 2, someone who can lead and be depended upon during crunch time. I think Kennard's experience as an excellent high school QB may provide a decisive advantage for this particular team at this particular time.

 

[DukeDenver]

Luke's handle and passing will be the deciding factor. I'm glad we have both guys. Play the hot hand and don't worry about minutes. Just win.

 

[skysdad]

Matt's has some great moments in his career and it's really just half over. Who knows what's n store for him. He's a co-captain this year and there's a reason for that. More than likely he'll be a co-captain again next year. He's gonna be a great leader whether he's on the court or from the bench. How many former Duke players have stepped up as a junior or senior. As far as comparing him to Luke I don't see the point. OFC

 

[OldasdirtDevil]

Luke is good, very good, and I'm so looking forward to him turning it on, but Matt Jones is a solid tough player that brings it on defense and can knock down the big 3. Matt's leadership and experience is going to be big for this team. The good thing is we don't have to choose, we got 'em both, and K will know how to use them to get the most out of them for themselves and the team.

OFC

 

[SwlaDukie]

Matt was not really needed to score alot last season, but had huge impacts in past games especially in the tournament. He was guarding Sam Dekker the majority of the championship game, and how many times was his named called. And he scored in double figures against Gonzaga and shutdown Byron Wesley while doing so. Coach himself said that a player in his system makes their biggest jump from their sophomore year to their junior year (i.e. Nolan Smith) Kennard is going to instant scoring threat off the bench. He reminds me JJ his freshman year but bigger and a better handle.
Jones is going to have to be the linchpin to a team who's defense and rebounding will be its strength. I'm certain he be more assertive when necessary. If you are an opposing teams guard or forward; and you see number 13 guarding you. You already understand its going to be a long game. He just plays with so much confidence on the court defensively similar to a Bruce Bowen or Chris Carawell. If Thornton and Ingram can guard like we anticipate no one is going to be looking forward to play this team. I feel this team may struggle early to find an identity, but by the time tournament starts it going to be one of most complete teams in the country if Marshall , Jeter, and Amile play aggressive inside.

 

[Dattier]

No.
Luke is a better shooter and scorer. Absolutely.
Matt is the better, more valuable overall player. His experience is invaluable.

 

[Laettner]

See MJ's Gonzaga performance, nuff said.

 

[smooth as butter]

Matt is a solid player and right now he is better then Luke.

 

[dukehokie]

IMO, Luke will go down as the better player, because he puts up what I call "headline stats". You'll see him in articles for points scored, getting close to double-doubles and triple-doubles. Things like that. He just has a more varied skill set.

But Matt has a championship (something Luke may or may not achieve), he has a good skill set by his own right, and he plays better defense pure and simple. If allowed to be fully healthy, you will see a completely different Matt Jones. You'll see the player that was on all of the highlights and in the high school all-star games. He is following the same exact player progression arc that he was on in high school. Most players do that. A great example is Ryan Kelly.

Watch. Matt will leave here as at least an All-America candidate.

 

[dbav]

I shall reserve comment until after Luke has played at least 1 regular season game at Duke.

 

[madrussian]

Luke is a scorer. No doubt. Jury out on his defense.

Matt is a classic K fav. Does whatever coach asks. Starts, comes off the bench.

But looking ahead, the points have to come from somewhere. Jefferson, MP3, MJones, all good players but not prolific scorers. That puts a lot of pressure on the other 2 guys....

 

[matthew1]

I almost regret I posted this. Jones is so much better this year than he's been in a while. I like how he's attacking the basket and shooting the ball more. Luke will be a very good player. Jones in the true leader and voice on the court

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

I said this in the game thread, but I can see Jones taking the same path as Nolan. He might not have the speed Nolan had but he is getting better and better. Before the season I didn't see him having the ball in his hand ,but he is doing a fine job of catching his offense up to his defense. I imagine he could have a special senior year.

 

[JCColsCane]

[QUOTE="OldasdirtDevil, post: 107276, member: 1584The good thing is we don't have to choose, we got 'em both, and K will know how to use them to get the most out of them for themselves and the team.

^ This. Really don't like comparisons of who is better, especially of players on the same team. Each is better at something and according the their own abilities.
Go Duke!!


JC-OFC[/QUOTE]

 

[dukehokie]

[QUOTE="OldasdirtDevil, post: 107276, member: 1584The good thing is we don't have to choose, we got 'em both, and K will know how to use them to get the most out of them for themselves and the team.

^ This. Really don't like comparisons of who is better, especially of players on the same team. Each is better at something and according the their own abilities.
Go Duke!!


JC-OFC

[/QUOTE]

Bingo! I love the "Luke is not a great defender yet" arguments. The kid scored 2977 points. I'm not sure he was brought in because of his defensive prowess...

 

[dukiejay]

I think a lot of people will sleep on Matt offensively. Truth of the matter is, Matt hasn't been asked to score or needed to score his first two seasons. Whenever he was on the court as a freshman or sophomore he was pretty much always the fourth or fifth option....but as a prep player he was a prolific scorer.

Like others, I don't like these kinds of threads. Both players, for this team to be successful, are going to have to be really good. That's all that matters.

 

[QC Dukie]

I don't think it really matters which one we think is better. All that really matters is they both are Blue Devils and we are very fortunate to have them.

OFC

 

[aah555]

I think the premise of the question is flawed. The question is not who is a better player in a vacuum. The question who is better with the other guys we have on the floor. I think Kennard is clearly a better scoring threat than Matt, and has a lot more upside on that end of the court as the season progresses. However, he's nowhere near the same type of defender and lacks the experience needed to help lead other guys on the court. If we had veteran perimeter players surrounding him who were a bit offensively challenged, then I think Kennard would probably be starting to give us some offensive oomph. However, b/c we're currently starting two relatively inexperienced guys who are bigtime scorers (Allen & Ingram), Jones can provide something to the team that it badly needs. In the long run, I think Kennard is the better player. But, for this season, I definitely understand why Jones would start ahead of him.

If Matt Jones does eventually get sent to the bench, I think it will be to move Thornton into the starting lineup to give our offense a bit more playmaking and to improve our on-ball defense against fast PGs.