Each Duke basketball player’s chance of returning next season
By Matt Johnson
Duke basketball players with a 99 percent chance of bolting
- F- Jalen Johnson (Fr)
When freshman big man Jalen Johnson went down with a foot injury, many Duke basketball diehards wondered whether he would ever don a Blue Devils uniform again.
Cue the collective sigh of relief.
Johnson returned in the loss at Virginia Tech and provided a serious spark off the bench. He then followed that up with a near triple-double at Pittsburgh, dropping 24 points in the 79-73 loss, before coming back to earth a bit in the 70-65 loss at Louisville on Saturday afternoon.
The 6-foot-9 forward is clearly the most talented option at this point, and if Johnson continues to stay healthy, then the Blue Devils will rely on him to be one of the main contributors on offense.
All this said lends to the thought that Johnson will continue the tradition of Duke basketball one-and-dones as NBA scouts and execs are certainly noticing the same things most of us fans are. He already has the size, but his court vision and pace at which he plays the game have got to stand out to a lot of teams.
Johnson’s handles and passing are already often a thing of beauty. But if he can hit his threes and midrange jumpers at a more consistent clip (55.2 percent from the field but only 33.3 percent from deep through seven appearances), then he will play himself into the discussion for a top 10 pick.
Either way, it’s not looking good for seeing Jalen Johnson return for a sophomore campaign.
Now, onto the next group…