Top prospect Jalen Johnson opting out of rest of Duke season
Standout freshman Jalen Johnson appears likely to have played his last game for the Duke Blue Devils.
As first reported by Jacob Polacheck and Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog, Johnson has decided to opt out of the remainder of the college basketball season. The Duke freshman cleaned out his locker on Monday morning.
A highly-touted prospect, Johnson is a projected lottery pick despite an underwhelming year with Duke. The forward is averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals for the Blue Devils this season, but has seen his minutes decrease significantly recently. Johnson has not started any of the last three games, and played only eight minutes in the Blue Devils’ win over NC State. Duke has struggled in general all year, with an 8-8 record so far, and things have not been very pleasant around the program. That may have played a role in Johnson’s decision.
It’s a bit strange to see Johnson opt out this late in the season, as the Blue Devils have only six regular season games remaining. It’s not likely to hurt his draft stock, and he still stands a very good chance of being a first-round pick assuming he goes pro.
