Duke men's basketball 2019-20 player review: Jordan Goldwire

Jordan Goldwire

• Year: Junior
• Height: 6-foot-2
• Position: Guard
• This year’s stat line: 4.7 PPG, 2.3 APG, 24.1 MPG
• The Blue Zone’s projected stat line: 2.4 PPG, 2.0 APG, 9.4 MPG

Season breakdown: Last year, Jordan Goldwire made a habit of exceeding all expectations placed for himself, breaking his way into a loaded Duke rotation through grit and a fierce defensive tenacity. And yet again, despite the Blue Devils stacking the backcourt depth chart with the likes of Tre Jones, Cassius Stanley and even Wendell Moore Jr., Goldwire went above and beyond all projections.

The key for the Norcross, Ga., native’s sustained success was the exponential development of his offseason skill set. Goldwire nearly tripled his 3-point percentage from last year, upping his long-range shooting split from 12.0 percent to 35.4 percent on twice as many attempts. The junior point guard augmented his shooting with a newfound aggression on dribble drives, giving Duke yet another prominent inside-outside threat for its guards.

Although the Goldwire offensive renaissance had its hitches—Blue Devil fans likely have the veteran point guard’s struggles to make layups, such as in Duke’s losses to Louisville and Clemson, burned into the back of their minds—the Norcross High School product has more than proven his potential as a key two-way player. In the Blue Devils’ late-season matchup against Florida State, Goldwire was perfect from the field, knocking down three shots from long range against one of the ACC’s best perimeter defending teams.

Results relative to expectations: If there were any doubts of Goldwire’s ability to prove himself in the eyes of head coach Mike Krzyzewski, this season firmly laid those to rest. Despite playing in a loaded position studded with former McDonald's All-Americans, the former three-star prospect firmly carved out a spot in the Duke rotation. After two years as an afterthought for most projected lineups, often billed as nothing more than a backup to ease the pressure off the Blue Devils’ elite guards, Goldwire earned 15 starts and only played less minutes than Jones, Vernon Carey Jr. and Stanley. As a soon-to-be senior leader projected to lead yet another talented but young Duke lineup, expect the former backup to be a key contributor in the coming season.

Stay tuned to the Blue Zone for our continuing player reviews. Previous players previewed include Alex O’Connell, Joey Baker, Jack White and Javin DeLaurier.