Duke Basketball Player Review: Cassius Stanley wows in debut season

Cassius Stanley was very impressive in his debut season with the Duke basketball program, and his future with the team is in question as the freshman is contemplating his future.

It didn’t take long for Cassius Stanley to make his first impression on Duke basketball fans.

The high-flyer broke Zion Williamson‘s vertical jump record set at the Duke combine, and the hype only took off from there for the Los Angeles native.

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Stanley’s hype kept on rolling into the first game of the season, running the floor and rocking rims at Madison Square Garden against Kansas in helping lead the Blue Devils’ comeback victory.

While the freshman’s season was a success, Stanley did miss one game due to a knee injury suffered in a victory over Winthrop, causing him to miss Duke’s road victory over Michigan State.

All in all, it was a very positive season for the 6-foot-6 guard, averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range.

Stanley emerged as that vital third scorer at the end of the season behind Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. but the freshman guard has yet to make his decision regarding the 2020 NBA Draft.

Teasing his decision on social media over the last handful of days, no one has a true read on what Stanley will decide, as he could be trying to gather information from NBA teams and scouts before making his final decision.

ALSO READ: Cassius Stanley teases his decision

The decision to return to school or enter the professional ranks becomes more difficult with the COVID-19 outbreak that has caused several of the pre-draft workouts to be postponed indefinitely or canceled in their entirety, which is so important to a player like Stanley to display his raw athleticism.

ALSO READ: The projected starting five for Duke next season

Alex O’Connell‘s decision to transfer started to stir the rumors that Cassius Stanley would return to Duke, but with a slew of guard and wings coming in for the 2020-21 season, there could be a logjam at those positions for valuable minutes.

ALSO READ: Vertical jump record doesn’t last as Cassius Stanley tops Zion Williamson

The current date for underclassmen to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft is April 26, and the date to withdraw their names and return to school is June 15, but those dates could potentially change due to the coronavirus.

GRADE: B+

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