Duke Star Freshman Jalen Johnson Opts-Out of Season
Jalen Johnson was expected to be a big star for Duke when he arrived on campus. The five-star recruit has had a rough season along with the rest of his Blue Devils teammates. On Monday he announced he was opting out of the rest of the season.
Johnson has been dealing with a foot injury but it seems like that's not the only issue with the versatile forward. Stadium's Jeff Goodman is reporting there have been problems between Johnson's camp and Duke for months:
Source: There have been off-court issues between Jalen Johnson/his camp and Duke dating back to early on in the season. https://t.co/oJVlJ4u5oQ
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 15, 2021
A projected top-10 pick, Johnson is likely done with college basketball. If so, he finished his career at Duke averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks and 21.4 minutes in 13 games. He shot 52.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
The kid can play, as a 6-foot-9, 220-pound versatile forward, he has a skillset that will appeal to NBA teams. In a horrible year for Duke -- which currently sits at 8-8 -- there's little reason for him to continue playing, especially if the concerns over his foot injury are real.
Johnson was the top rated player in Duke's 2020 recruiting class and now he's gone. His decision to leave is yet another blow to Coach K and the Blue Devils in a lost season.