Tre Jones Reflects on Leaving Duke and His NBA Future

For Tre Jones, leaving Duke without a national title was tough—but leaving without even having the chance to pursue said title was agonizing.

“It’s rough,” Jones said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “When it finally set in that it just wasn’t going to happen, no matter what, it hurt. As a competitor you always know that you, at least, have a chance. That was really the whole reason I wanted to go to Duke was to get that national championship.”

During the 2019–20 season, Jones averaged 16.2 points and 6.4 assists for the No. 11 Blue Devils, who finished 25–6 overall. 

Jones cemented his name in the bitter Duke-North Carolina rivalry in February when he drained a buzzer beater after snagging the rebound from his own intentionally missed free throw to force overtime in a wild comeback win at the Dean Dome.

Jones is projected as a first-round pick in June’s NBA draft. His older brother, Tyus, who won a national title at Duke in 2015, went No. 24 overall in the 2015 draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tyus now plays with the Memphis Grizzlies.

“I had to look at the bigger picture,” Tre said. “I thought I was fully ready to make the next step into the NBA.”

Krzyzewski concurred, citing, among other things, Jones' status as a fierce competitor.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what he accomplished this season both as ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He’s been the heart and soul of our program for the last two seasons, and it’s been a joy to watch him develop as an incredible player and leader.”

Watch SI's full interview with Tre Jones in the video above.