Duke basketball commit befriends two budding 2020 targets

One future Blue Devil is aiding Duke basketball recruiting efforts by buddying up to two potential Blue Devils who continue rising the ranks.

Before ever scoring a point in Durham, Jalen Johnson is scoring points with Duke basketball fans.

The latest five-star 2020 commit is more than just a 6-foot-8, 215-pound small forward who ranks No. 4 on the 247Sports Composite with a game sparking memories of Blue Devil greats Grant Hill and Shane Battier.

Johnson is a 17-year-old with a friendly reputation among his peers.

Since announcing on July 4th his decision to accompany five-star point guard Jeremy Roach (ranks No. 18) to Duke the season after next, the Milwaukeean (Nicolet High School) has used his chummy demeanor to recruit behind the scenes.

By building one bond and strengthening another, Johnson certainly isn’t hurting coach Mike Krzyzewski’s attempt to quickly build upon what is currently the nation’s only class boasting any top 20 prospects.

The friendship he recently initiated is with four-star center Mark Williams. After the 7-foot-1, 225-pound Norfolk, Va., native announced via a Friday tweet that he’ll spend his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida, he received the following message from Johnson:

Ok Mark ❗️ congrats brotha https://t.co/XypY2ApHbV
— Jalen Johnson (@Jalen_J23) July 18, 2019

Earlier this month, Johnson tagged Williams on Instagram with a simple message: “You next.”

Earlier this week, per Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten, Williams said Johnson has frequently reached out to him directly in an attempt to persuade him to pick Duke (Williams also reiterated his intention to take an official visit to Duke either in August or September; he has hinted at deciding on a school sometime in the fall).

Johnson must like Williams’ game. And he’s not the only one.

Williams made his No. 37 composite ranking — already nine spots higher than when the Duke staff extended him an offer in April — look highly inadequate earlier this month.

The younger brother to former Duke women’s basketball sensation Elizabeth Williams surprised some experts at Peach Jam with some lofty averages across his Boo Williams squad’s five-game run ending in the semifinals: 15.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and a 56-percent clip from the field.

Williams is an elite paint protector, a high-level finisher, an adequate athlete, a well-spoken teen, and a work-in-progress scorer from outside the paint.

Now that Williams is exhibiting more moxie in maneuvering his Stretch Armstrong frame — he has a 7-foot-4 wingspan and may still be growing — he has likely put himself in position for a fifth star and a possible double-digit jump on the next updated composite.

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Fortunately for the Blue Devils, he is well aware of the future need for talented big men in Durham — there is a strong possibility not a single one returns after next season.

"“They need somebody who can fill that position,” Williams told The Charlotte Observer’s Jonas Pope IV, “and do things like creating for my teammates.”"

Meanwhile, Johnson continues to do things to ensure another four-star commits to becoming his future teammate. But his friendship with combo guard D.J. Steward, who picked up an offer from Coach K on July 13, dates back to well before he joined #TheBrotherhood.

"“Yeah, Jalen Johnson talks to me a lot,” Steward said to 247Sports’ Adam Rowe after Peach Jam, where he averaged 20.4 points, 6.2 boards, and 4.4 assists. “We talk a lot for about a year now. He’s really talented, and he’s a cool guy. Good guy to vibe with off the court. It’d be great to play with him. He’s been talking with me about playing [at Duke].”"

Like Williams, Steward also plans to take an official visit to Duke in the fall and then announce his college choice shortly thereafter. Also like Williams, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound sharpshooter has seen a significant rise this year to his composite ranking — he sits at No. 27 at the moment and may also soon snag a fifth star as a result of his recent play against the nation’s elite.

Duke currently holds a commanding lead inside the Crystal Ball for both Williams (six of the eight experts to have entered picks peg him as a Dukie) and Stewart (all six see him as a Dukie).

Others holding outstanding offers to play at Duke are five-star shooting guard B.J. Boston, five-star point forward Cade Cunningham, five-star center Walker Kessler, and four-star power forward Henry Coleman.

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Expect Johnson to continue actively ingratiating himself with his new fanbase by regularly contacting those he most wants to team up with during what will likely be his lone year in Durham before becoming a lottery pick.

By the time the 2020 recruiting cycle is said and done, Duke basketball fans may feel the need to bestow upon Johnson another title:

“Recruiter of the Year.”

ALSO READ: Duke bags recruits with bags of family promises

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