Duke basketball: Cassius Stanley officially declares for 2020 NBA Draft

Duke basketball guard Cassius Stanley officially made his decision regarding his future as the explosive athlete will leave Durham after one season and enter the 2020 NBA Draft.

After much deliberation and toying with the possibility of returning to Durham for a second season, Duke basketball guard Cassius Stanley has officially decided to leave the Blue Devils and enter the 2020 NBA Draft.

In his one season at Duke, Stanley played, and started, in 29 games while 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 had been teasing his decision on Twitter since the season ended, and many Duke fans thought that meant a return for a sophomore season was extremely possible.

The official announcement was made by Stanley on Twitter, followed by a statement from Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski that Duke also released on Twitter.

Cassius Stanley joins point guard Tre Jones as the two Blue Devils who will officially leave the program early for the NBA this season as the team awaits the official decisions of Vernon Carey Jr. and Matthew Hurt.

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Carey Jr. is expected to join his teammates in the NBA Draft this summer while Hurt’s decision is very much up in the air.

Entering Duke, Stanley was the No. 37 recruit in the 2019 class, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, and the Los Angeles native committed to the Blue Devils early last spring.

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Cassius Stanley had many memorable games in his one season in Durham, but with the shortened season due to COVID-19, the freshman went out with a bang, totaling 19 points and six rebounds in a home victory over North Carolina.

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As an explosive 6-foot-6 guard, Cassius Stanley’s athleticism is expected to bring him near the mid-to-bottom of the first round in the 2020 NBA Draft, which will be extremely limited in terms of workouts and visits due to the coronavirus pandemic.