The Duke Blue Devils are set to have too many talented cooks in their kitchen next season, and Derryck Thornton doesn’t want to deal with that heat.
Thornton, a former five-star recruit, will transfer out of Duke, the school announced in a release on Sunday.
The 18-year-old point guard averaged 7.1 points per game, 1.8 rebounds per game, and 2.6 assist per game for the Blue Devils last season, helping the team to a 25-11 record and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. But Thornton often battled inconsistent playing time and an uncertain role given the sheer number of fellow ball-dominant scorers and playmakers on the Duke roster.
It wasn’t going to get any easier for Thornton in the 2016-17 season with first team All-ACC guard Grayson Allen returning for his junior year and a star-studded slate of recruits, headlined by Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, the top two prospects in the 2016 class, as well as five-star point guard Frank Jackson, coming into Durham.
Thornton is expected to transfer to another Division I school, hopefully one where he is able to log more substantive minutes and enjoy a higher usage.
Image Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
H/T theScore
