Zion Williamson is Duke's most promising NBA talent. RJ Barrett has been its most prolific scorer. Cam Reddish continues to be its enigmatic X-factor. But Duke's stunning 95-91 overtime stumble to Syracuse proved that another freshman on the roster, point guard Tre Jones, may be the most important player for the Blue Devils and their chase for a national title this season.

Jones left Monday's game against the Orange only 5 minutes and 35 seconds into the contest and did not return, suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out for the remaining 40 minutes and change. Yet it was what he didn't do, how Duke responded without him -- as opposed to what he did and how Duke played with him -- that spoke loudest.

When he was on the court, Duke raced out to a fast 12-0 start, and when he left, it was 14-6. By all accounts, Duke was in control and on the verge of blowing the doors open to yet another ACC victory. His in-your-face pressure on defense was stifling Syracuse and the Orange simply couldn't handle the pressure he was applying. In the short stint he was available, they turned the ball over three times and looked jumbled and out of sorts on offense.

Without Jones, however, Duke's defense unraveled. This was the Duke of old -- the Duke of Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram, the Duke of Jabari Parker and of Rasheed Sulaimon. This was the Duke that had to outscore its opponent and could not rely on its defense to lead the way. This was the Duke that should beat Syracuse on a Monday night in January on its home floor, but one that ultimately could not.

"The injury to Tre is a shoulder sprain," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "There's no break. He was in a lot of pain ... he's the toughest kid. Right away, he said 'I don't know if my collarbone is broken,' it was hurting that badly. But it's a sprain."

There is no timetable placed on his return yet, but Coach K said he's expected to be "out for awhile, I think."

For a team that's unusually reliant on that unit (Duke rated No. 3 in defensive adjusted efficiency at KenPom ahead of Monday and surrendered only 65.1, which ranked 35th nationally), Jones' injury was a big one. It forced Duke to readjust on the fly, and without its most stingy defender on the perimeter, to set the tone it was unable to remake itself.

Syracuse played a near-flawless game to topple the top-ranked team in America. Tyus Battle scored 32 points and Elijah Hughes added 20 -- including an incredible 70-foot buzzer-beater in the first half. It looked totally and completely unfazed by the most talented team in the sport, which is no small feat in itself, but gains points for impressiveness at a venue like Cameron Indoor Stadium with fans breathing down your neck and chest paint flying and deafening boos raining down with every ebb and flow.

Credit to Duke and its healthy stars who kept this thing interesting, though. Zion Williamson set a new career-high (again) with 35 points on 12 of 20 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and one steal. RJ Barrett put up big numbers, too, pouring in 23 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. But his inefficient 8 of 30 shooting -- including a 4 of 17 mark from long distance -- will do nothing to dispel the notion that he's putting up big numbers simply with high volume.

Of all the Duke starters, though, it was clear Jones' absence affected Barrett the most. Jones is more than a defensive clamper -- he also doubles as the set-up guy for the other Duke stars, and for Barrett, who shoots the most frequently, it seems he may be impacted the most.

And based on Coach K's early diagnosis of the situation, he may also be impacted the longest.

If Jones cannot return, there simply is no viable replacement for him on Duke's roster. Jordan Goldwire is a career 7.65 minute per game player whose jump shot seems to be off-kilter, Barrett is best off the ball, and no one is in the same stratosphere as Jones defensively. Duke will simply need to survive until he can get back and hope that the other pieces can step into larger roles.

Or worse yet, it may need to win like the Duke of old. As early results go, that may not be the best long-term solution for a Blue Devils team that, after seemingly hitting its stride, has been cut at the knees and may need to re-make itself on the fly.