Report: Duke’s men’s basketball Jalen Johnson picks off season

It looks like Jalen Johnson’s time as the Blue Devil is over.

The freshman star, who arrived this season as the No. 13 rookie in the country, is reportedly retiring from the remainder of the 2020-2021 season, with the news first coming through ZAGSBLOG’s Jacob Polacheck.

Since Polacheck’s tweet, several other people have also reported that Johnson has stepped down, including Jeff Goodman from the Stadium.

Goodman added in a separate tweet “that there have been some off-field issues between Jalen Johnson / his side and Duke since the start of the season.”

“You are looking at Duke, and they need Jalen Johnson back and they need a committed Jalen Johnson, not just Jalen Johnson,” Goodman said on ACC Network’s Packer and Durham in early January, as Johnson recovered. again from a foot injury that had sidelined him between mid-December and mid-January. “They need him. And I know there’s that foot injury and everything, but there’s other stuff going on behind the scenes, guys, with Jalen Johnson and the coaching staff. So it has to come back and be bought.

Despite high expectations heading into the season, Johnson disappointed during his short stint at Durham, averaging just 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 games.

He had moments that showed why he was at one point in one of the nation’s top five rookies and could still be a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, including a 24-point, 16-rebound performance. and seven assists in Pittsburgh in January. 19 as well as his impressive 19-point, 19-rebound debut against Coppin State.

But the Milwaukee native had been largely absent from the Blue Devils’ rotation in recent games, totaling just 11 points in 23 minutes in Duke’s last two games against Notre Dame and NC State.