Blue Devils in the NBA 2024-2025
- Thread starter brevity
- Start date
I think that’ the difference for some folks. Avery left after the season but before Coach K thought he was ready. Johnson left the team during the season. Also I think I recall that Avery was at Coach K Academy in recent years… and also got his Duke degree.
Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
Member
This used to be my take (although I also held the same level of disappointment in Rasheed Sulaimon, for different reasons). If you really want to bail on your coach and teammates in the middle of the season for no other reason than "prepare for the draft" - that's definitely a pretty cruddy legacy.
Then someone on this board reminded me that that season (2020-2021) was the year of COVID basketball. Strange year to be in college, to be playing sports, or to just be a human. I'm not looking to get his jersey, but I will offer some grace to a college freshman who was navigating uncomfortable waters.
At the same time, I'm unlikely to go to bat for the fella - but you did state that you were willing to listen to counterarguments
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
Duke includes Jalen Johnson in all the "Brotherhood" marketing stuff and he does talk positively about his time at Duke when he does interviews. I've seen pics of him back on campus in the NBA off-season.
When he makes the all-star game in a few months, we are gonna want to claim him to boost the already impressive stats about Duke success in the NBA.
When he makes the all-star game in a few months, we are gonna want to claim him to boost the already impressive stats about Duke success in the NBA.
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
Duke79UNLV77
Member
If by "we," you mean some of us. My first bad feeling about Johnson was during a game when he had a chance for a shot at the buzzer to either tie or send a game to overtime but inexplicably passed to a nearby teammate at the buzzer. I wouldn't have minded that. We've seen the moment get too big for a lot of young players. What bothered me, though, was that he demonstrably yelled at his teammate, who could not have done anything differently. Then, he became the first Duke player to quit on the team midseason. He can become NBA MVP, and I won't actively root for him, unless I see some Oprah type of interview where he tears up while apologizing for quitting on his team in college. Sorry, but to me there should be more to college sports than just being a freak talent.
Matches
Member
Jalen’s maturation once he got to the league has been a sight to behold. He was soft in college. He’s not now. I thought his ceiling was as a dude who could score but not do much else, but he’s become an all-around star.
He was far from the first player to quit on the team mid-season. We’ve had a laundry list of midseason transfers - in the pre-portal days it seemed like we lost a player every year around the semester break.
He was far from the first player to quit on the team mid-season. We’ve had a laundry list of midseason transfers - in the pre-portal days it seemed like we lost a player every year around the semester break.
NYBri
Member
Logic schmogic. I just don’t like him.
MChambers
Member
He also left his high school team mid-season.
I'm glad he's matured, but I really don't follow him.
grad_devil
Member
Can we add the Jalen Johnson thing to the @throatybeard Handy Pocket Reference?
Phredd3
Member
With all due respect, we shouldn't "want to claim him", regardless of how he performs. If we embrace him (and personally, I've come around to @Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15's point of view), it's because we understand that he left the team mid-season for legitimate reasons and we therefore embrace him as one of our own, come what may. We don't only "claim" people when they are successful, and we certainly shouldn't embrace them simply because they are successful.
CrazyNotCrazie
Member
Can we peel this off into a separate thread? It comes up fairly often and side tracks other threads. I have mixed thoughts on the topic but in keeping with my request will save them for another venue.
Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
Member
That's difficult to do because the topic pops up organically and then people ask questions. It's like if we had a thread dedicated to free throw shooting, but every time there's a mention of a missed free throw in a post-game thread, everyone pointed to the dedicated thread.
I think it's just the way of things, unless we have some sort of gentle/wo/men's agreement to never mention Jalen.
This or just drop it. What at this point can be added? We all know what happened. Either you fall in the camp of understanding or you can’t get over it. I look forward to the day when his name is brought up and someone doesn’t feel the need to express the same tired criticism.
brevity
Member
If the debate on Jalen Johnson is one of inclusion vs. exclusion, then peeling him off into a separate thread from Blue Devils in the NBA is, by definition, excluding him. (Anticipating the rebuttal, yes, keeping him in this thread is including him, but The Brotherhood is including him, and I'm not sure why we would want to take a separate stand.)
I honestly don't know why there's a debate. Disagreement I get, but there are inclusionists and exclusionists, and no one is going to change anyone else's mind. Why engage?
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
Sorry if I distracted the thread. As many know, I am a big fan of Jalen and am thrilled with his development on the Hawks. But, every time I bring him up, someone says "who?" or something like that so I sorta wanted to head it off by mentioning that from the start. In doing so, I guess I sorta started what I meant to stop. Oh well.
Anyway, he's a great watch at the next level and I've been proud to call him a Dukie from day one (especially because he plays for my Hawks and is making Quin Snyder look good).
Anyway, he's a great watch at the next level and I've been proud to call him a Dukie from day one (especially because he plays for my Hawks and is making Quin Snyder look good).
grad_devil
Member
No word about RJ Barrett's triple-double (13-11-10) in last night's loss to the Heat? Nearly a quadruple-double (6 turnovers).
I didn't watch the game, but I know he got the 10th rebound in the last minute and didn't shoot well (5/18).
I didn't watch the game, but I know he got the 10th rebound in the last minute and didn't shoot well (5/18).