Duke basketball forward Jalen Johnson has left the program, and players will benefit.
The bombshell that was revealed on Monday night was that Duke basketball freshman forward Jalen Johnson has left the team and will enter the 2021 NBA Draft.
As the news might not be the most shocking development to hit the Blue Devils, given the body language and hustle Johnson showed in recent games, it was still startling to see the news officially come to the forefront.
The statements by Jalen Johnson and head coach Mike Krzyzewski were both cordial and worded carefully, but this was not a “mutual” decision.
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The five-star recruit did suffer a foot injury that kept him out for just over a month between December and January, which seemingly was called as a cover-up by Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, alluding to trouble between Johnson’s team and Duke.
Many ridiculed Goodman for his take, but it seems as if the veteran reporter was correct all along.
However, Mike Krzyzewski did not just come up to Johnson and say, “Hey Jalen, I think it would be best if you left the team.”
Things like that just don’t happen, especially with a five-star recruit who has dealt with issues between his camp and high school coaching staffs in the past.
Duke basketball players have opportunities to shine
The Wisconsin native certainly was the most individually gifted player on Duke this season, but the Blue Devils played better as a team with him off the floor, and now more players will have the opportunities to shine with the forward no longer with the program.
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Johnson was demoted from the starting lineup to coming off the bench in the last three games for the Blue Devils and was limited to just 23 combined minutes in Duke’s last two games.
With Jalen Johnson no longer on the roster, the opportunity will be there for other players to shine and carve out a role on the 2021-22 roster.
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.
Duke basketball players who will benefit from Jalen Johnson’s absence
Wendell Moore
While Jalen Johnson is a more individually gifted player than Wendell Moore, they both thrive off the same facets of the game.
Moore and Johnson both prefer the ball in their hands in order to create driving lanes to the basket, but the Blue Devils prefer to run their half-court offense through point guard Jeremy Roach or Jordan Goldwire.
The issue is that there is only one basketball to go around, so perhaps Moore will be able to play with the ball in his hands more often rather than being off the ball, where he has seemed to struggle in taking ill-advised jump shots.
Both Wendell Moore and Jalen Johnson also seem to be more comfortable at the small forward position, and neither would be able to stand their ground defending bigger players in the post when playing the power forward spot, as seen in the loss against North Carolina.
As the court should be more open now for the Blue Devils, Wendell Moore should have more chances to drive to the basket and even operate the offense as the point guard for a few short minutes each game.
Duke basketball players who will benefit from Jalen Johnson’s absence
Mark Williams
Mark Williams has been the biggest surprise for the Blue Devils this season.
The former five-star prospect entered Duke and seemed overwhelmed by the physicality of the college game. But he has since slowly improved and now has carved out a spot in the starting lineup.
Williams still has plenty to learn and adjust to throughout ACC play, but with Johnson no longer in the rotation, it serves for a more traditional lineup from Mike Krzyzewski.
This traditional lineup allows Matthew Hurt to play power forward, his natural and most effective position, and a potential rotation at center between Mark Williams and Henry Coleman, rather than the small-ball lineup Duke was running, which was abysmal on defense.
Mark Williams will only continue his upward trajectory as the season progresses.
Duke basketball players who will benefit from Jalen Johnson’s absence
Jeremy Roach
Jeremy Roach finds himself on this list for the very same reasons as Wendell Moore.
Roach is at his best when he has the ball in his hands and is able to attack the paint and either get to the rim for a layup or facilitate to his teammates open on the perimeter.
Without Jalen Johnson, Roach, like Moore, is able to play with the ball more often on offense, and it will pay dividends for the Blue Devils going forward.
There are things for Jeremy Roach to improve on going forward, like his three-point percentage and his assist-to-turnover ratio, but he should have more of an opportunity to succeed with a free-flowing offense around him.