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Duke Basketball: Jayson Tatum says he was very close to a return to Duke

By Kevin Connelly

DURHAM, NC - MAY 31: Former Duke basketball player Jayson Tatum sits down for SiriusXM's Town Hall With Hall Of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Bill Brill Media Room in Cameron Indoor Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
DURHAM, NC - MAY 31: Former Duke basketball player Jayson Tatum sits down for SiriusXM's Town Hall With Hall Of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Bill Brill Media Room in Cameron Indoor Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images for SiriusXM) /
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In an interview with Sirius XM, former Duke Basketball star Jayson Tatum admitted that he was close to a return to Duke for his sophomore season.

Jayson Tatum, almost, made the decision to return to Duke for his sophomore year, he said in an interview on Monday afternoon on Sirius XM.

In a spot on College Sports Radio with Chris Spatola and Aaron Taylor, Tatum explained that it was his life long dream to play in the NBA and when he first got down to Duke, he only expected to stay in Durham for one season, but once the five-star recruit experienced life as a college student at Duke, he admitted that the choice was not easy to head to the NBA.

One of the driving forces for Tatum in his near return to Durham was not winning a National Championship and getting the chance to play for Mike Krzyzewski once again.

Tatum said that while it was a touch choice, Coach K fully supported his decision and still checks up on him once in a while to see how he’s doing.

A foot injury limited Tatum to 29 games in his one season as a Blue Devil, but was spectacular in those 29 games. The St. Louis native averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 45.2% from the field.

The 2016-17 Blue Devils became the first team in ACC history to win four games in four days to win the ACC Tournament, but a second round exit in the NCAA Tournament left a sour taste in the mouthes of the players, coaches, and fans.

Tatum then became the No. 3 overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2017 NBA Draft and so far, his career trajectory isn’t even on the same playing field as the two players picked ahead of him, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball.

Now in his second season, and second postseason with the Celtics, Tatum has emerged as one of the young stars in the NBA, averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in the regular season.

Jayson Tatum definitely made the right decision by leaving Duke after one season, as he and the rest of his Celtics teammates are back in action for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, April 30, at 8:00pm ET on TNT.

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