Duke basketball: Blue Devils may soon snag second 2020 commitment

One Duke basketball target may add to the Blue Devils’ 2020 class within the next few weeks.

The Duke basketball coaches have already put in the work to recruit 2020 small forward Jalen Johnson.

"“They made me a priority since my freshman year of high school,” the 6-foot-8, 215-pound five-star from Milwaukee (Nicolet) told Prep Circuit’s Pat Lawless back in December, “so I feel really special with that.”"

Mike Krzyzewski and his staff could harvest the fruits of their labor before the end of July.

Peach Jam, the summer Super Bowl for top high school hoopsters and a common site for announcements, tips off in about a week (July 10-14).

Not only will Johnson be in North Augusta, S.C., for the annual event — playing for Wisconsin’s Phenom University alongside the No. 1 prospect from the 2021 class and fellow Duke target, Patrick Baldwin Jr. — but he has hinted in the past that he may make his college choice known at that time.

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"“I was thinking Peach Jam, but it just depends on when I get that feeling,” Johnson said, as reported by Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim in early May. “I just want to go into my senior year knowing where I’m going to go, get the weight off my shoulders.”"

Although he has not confirmed any decision date, around the same time that he mentioned Peach Jam, he also provided a similar timeframe in an interview with Tipton Edits.

"“Hopefully, [I’ll be able] to get the decision done, over with, maybe within the next couple months,” Johnson said."

Well, a couple of months from early May equates to early July — i.e., any day now.

During the same interview, Johnson — who ranks No. 4 on the 247Sports Composite for the 2020 class and had just cut his list to Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, and Wisconsin at the time of the interview — reiterated his appreciation for Coach K and Co.’s strong pursuit.

"“The fact they came to my house, that meant a lot,” Johnson said about the Blue Devils’ April visit. “To see the whole coaching staff there, that was also big…They just see a lot of potential in me. They’ve been comparing me to other fours they had like [Brandon] Ingram, [Jayson] Tatum, and guards they were able to move around.”"

Another former Duke forward he resembles — but with a bit more hops — is Shane Battier. Similar size. Similar ability to play down low or on the perimeter. Similar stroke. Similar confidence. Similar level of on-court awareness. Similar lack of superior quickness — Johnson’s primary blemish.

As for Johnson’s thoughts on potentially joining the cast of greats to have played for Coach K, he has not held back:

"“I love the slogan ‘The Brotherhood.’ That means a lot to me,” Johnson told Rivals’ Corey Evans last summer. “I am not the type of guy that would want to go away from home because I am more family-oriented, but when they dropped the whole spiel on ‘The Brotherhood,’ that made my interest get bigger because you feel like you are at home with them.”"

The 247Sports Crystal Ball has long shown Johnson’s home for the 2020-21 season to be in Durham — he’ll likely become a lottery pick after one season in college. Currently, all but one of the 14 experts who have entered predictions are in agreement.

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That being said, Johnson said he isn’t exactly sure why everyone assumes he’ll be a Blue Devil.

"“I see [the chatter about Duke as the favorite]. I don’t really pay attention to that, though,” he told reporters at the NBPA Top 100 Camp earlier this month, “because no one knows what’s going on in my mind.“I know what’s going on. People can make assumptions on what they think. But at the end of the day, I’m the one that knows, and I’m the one that’s going to make the decision.”"

If Johnson — who last visited Duke the same weekend as Countdown to Craziness back in October — does decide on Duke before the end of summer, he would join five-star point guard Jeremy Roach as the Blue Devils’ only 2020 pledges.

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The other targets holding Duke offers — shooting guard B.J. Boston, small forward Cade Cunningham, small forward Scottie Barnes, center Walker Kessler, and center Mark Williams — are each not likely to decide on a school until at least the start of the next school year.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.