Why the return of Duke’s Wendell Moore is key to addressing Coach K’s ‘utmost concern’
Among the things Mike Krzyzewski must handle the rest of this season, point guard Tre Jones’ workload is near the top.
“His physical condition is of utmost concern,” Duke’s Hall of Fame coach said Monday on an ACC conference call with reporters.
Wendell Moore’s return from a broken hand plays directly into allaying Krzyzewski’s concerns.
Moore, a 6-6 freshman guard, saw his played in his first game in a month on Saturday in Duke’s 79-67 win at Syracuse. He experienced no setbacks after his 24 minutes of play and is ready to go again when the No. 7 Blue Devils play at Boston College Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN).
“His shape was excellent,” Krzyzewski said of Moore Monday, in response to a question from The News & Observer. “We’ve been able to keep up with that. He had minimal soreness (Sunday). He was fine. Just going to keep moving on. So that’s a huge step for our team.”
Duke (18-3, 8-2 ACC) played six games without Moore after his Jan. 6 surgery. He suffered a broken fourth metacarpal bone and the procedure inserted screws to stabilize the bone and promote healing.
The Blue Devils were 4-2 without him, and relied more on juniors Jordan Goldwire and Alex O’Connell and sophomore Joey Baker for backcourt depth throughout that period.
With Moore in the lineup against Syracuse, Goldwire’s minutes fell to 14 minutes, 45 seconds and Baker didn’t play at all.
Jones, though, played all 40 minutes and Duke needed him. He made 10 free throws in the game’s final 2:35 to help stave off the Orange. He did so while also handling the ball against the zone trap pressure defense Syracuse employed as it desperately attempted to rally from a 15-point, second-half deficit.
“Down the stretch,” Krzyzewski said Saturday night, “Tre didn’t turn it over, he hit every free throw, beat traps and got the ball back.”
Allowing Tre Jones to rest
Krzyzewski’s trust in Jones’ ability to do all of those things consistently is rightfully at a high level. But, as he said Monday, he also doesn’t want to wear out such a key player.
During the six games without Moore, Jones played either 39 or 40 minutes in three of them and 35 and 36 in two others. His fewest minutes during that stretch was 27 in a 90-59 blowout of Wake Forest on Jan. 11.
From this point on, Moore and Goldwire, in particular, are important for allowing Jones some rest.
“Having Wendell back helps because he’s a really good ball handler and along with Goldwire can help lessen that load,” Krzyzewski said Monday.
Goldwire has started Duke’s last six games along with Jones in the backcourt. Over the past five, Goldwire has played 65 percent of the minutes at shooting guard and six percent at point guard, according to a playing time breakdown at KenPom.com.
Moore’s ball-handling ability is a trait the coaching staff appreciates and wants to employ. His athleticism allows him to guard players at multiple positions.
That’s why Krzyzewski said Duke “wasn’t the same team without him” and his return is a “huge step” for the Blue Devils.
Coach K on his players: ‘There’s no bench role’
It also helps that O’Connell had a bounce-back performance against the Orange. After playing eight minutes combined in Duke’s three previous games, he scored 11 points with three assists and two steals in 15 minutes at Syracuse.
Though Baker didn’t play, Krzyzewski included him Monday when discussing the importance of all Duke players knowing they are important and part of game plans.
“There’s no bench role,” Krzyzewski said. “Our guys are not bench players. They are players. I don’t want any of them thinking they are bench players or starters. The self-esteem and ego with each of the players is of utmost importance. Wendell is a key player for us, as are Javin (DeLaurier), Jack (White) Alex, Joey all these guys.”
Still, Jones is going to play plenty and will certainly be on the court in crucial situations. Duke hopes to steal him some rest here and there while limiting the heavy practice work between games.
Moore’s return helps with that plan.
Duke at Boston College
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 4:43 PM.