Duke basketball players who benefit most from Jalen Johnson departure

Former Duke basketball forward Jalen Johnson (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
Former Duke basketball forward Jalen Johnson (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
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Duke basketball forward Jaemyn Brakefield (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Duke basketball players who will benefit from Jalen Johnson’s absence

Jaemyn Brakefield

It felt like Jaemyn Brakefield would be the first Blue Devil to leave Durham given his playing time evaporated since Jalen Johnson returned from his foot injury.

However, Brakefield saw his most minutes on the floor, 14, since January 12 in Saturday’s victory over North Carolina State.

In his time on the floor, Brakefield has proven he can play without the ball, in addition to stretching the floor with his shooting abilities and willingness to battle on the backboards for rebounds.

Jaemyn Brakefield averaged 21.5 minutes per game during Jalen Johnson’s absence due to injury, and expect his time on the court to slowly increase to around that number as the Blue Devils close out the regular season.