Duke Freshman Jalen Johnson Withdraws From College Season, Will Declare For NBA Draft

Duke freshman and projected lottery pick Jalen Johnson is opting out of the rest of the college season and getting ready to declare for the NBA Draft.

An official press release from Duke confirmed that the forward would forgo the rest of the season to prepare for the NBA draft. “I appreciate everything about my time at Duke,” Johnson said in the press release. “My family, coach, and I have made the decision that I should not play the remainder of this season so I can be 100 percent healthy in preparation for the NBA Draft.”

Johnson played a great game during his college debut against Coppin State. In his first game with Duke, he posted 19 points, 19 rebounds and five assists. Two days after his debut game, he earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors for his debut performance. The young forward suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for three games. Once he returned, he was delegated to come off the bench and removed from the starting lineup. In the last three games, he came off the bench and played limited minutes. The forward only played a combined 23 minutes over the last two games. In his final game with the team, he scored just three points in eight minutes. In 13 games, Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

This is not the first time that the forward did not complete a full season. The last time that Johnson played a full season was in his junior year of high school. In his senior year, he left IMG Academy before playing in a single game with the team before playing nine games with Nicolet High School.