Duke freshmen and the proposed lottery Jalen Johnson will not opt for the rest of the season and will sign up for the NBA draft, according to the school.
Johnson, last season the no. 13 prospects in the ESPN 100, had an up-and-down season with the Blue Devils. He opened his career with 19 points, 19 rebounds and 5 assists against Coppin State, but a few weeks later he suffered a foot injury and missed three games. After returning to the starting lineup, Johnson has come off the bench the past three games. He has played 23 minutes together for the past two games and scored just three points in the eight minutes against NC State this past weekend.
“I appreciate everything about my time with Duke,” Johnson said in a news release from Duke on Monday night. “Coach (Mike Krzyzewski), my teammates and the program have been nothing but supportive during this season, especially not during the recovery from my foot injury. My family, coach and I decided that I would not be the rest of this season. “so I can be 100 percent healthy in preparation for the NBA draft.”
In 13 games, Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
“It was not easy, but we feel it is best for my future,” Johnson said. “I have nothing but love for the fraternity and thank my teammates and everyone associated with the program. Duke will always have a special place in my heart and will always be a part of me.”
Johnson has not played a full season since his high school year. As a senior, he left the IMG Academy without playing a game before hosting nine games at Nicolet High School (Wisconsin).
“While we are encouraged by what we see medically, for Jalen’s future, we believe this decision is in his best interest,” Krzyzewski said in the release. “We are ultimately careful with each of our players and will continue to support Jalen as he progresses toward his goal of playing professional basketball.”
ESPN has Johnson in 6th place on its NBA draft rankings, the No. 1 forward in the class.
Myron Medcalf contributed to this report.