Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones exited Monday night's game against Syracuse early in the first half with a shoulder injury and did not return to action. Jones suffered the injury after colliding with Syracuse's Frank Howard. Jones suffered the brunt of the crash's force to his right shoulder, and he immediately began writhing in pain and clutching his shoulder on the floor.
Duke labeled it as a shoulder injury, and he did not return to the game. After the contest, a 95-91 Syracuse win in overtime, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said his point guard could be out a while with what he described as a shoulder sprain. A short time later, though, we'd come to find out the injury was a little more severe. In a release from the school, the Blue Devils announced that Jones separated his AC joint and will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time.
Official from Duke: Tre Jones suffered an acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation Monday night against Syracuse. He will be sidelined “indefinitely."
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) January 15, 2019
Duke was already shorthanded without Cameron Reddish -- who hit the game-winner on Saturday to keep the Blue Devils from being upset by Florida State -- on Monday as he battled illness
In the absence of Jones, backup point guard Jordan Goldwire and RJ Barrett took on the majority of the ball-handling responsibilities typically handled by him, but his void was notable. If Jones is out a significant amount of time, it could undeniably stunt Duke's shot at winning a title in 2019. For now, though, it's wait-and-see when -- or if -- he's able to make it back on the court.
