Duke Blue Devils: Jayson Tatum Declares For NBA Draft
Jayson Tatum has declared for the NBA Draft to begin a highly anticipated off-season for the Duke Blue Devils.
The Duke Blue Devils’ season was ended by the South Carolina Gamecocks in the round of thirty-two in the NCAA Tournament. The team was destined to undergo major upheaval no matter how their season ended given the number of players expected to leave early or graduate. The action started today with the announcement that freshman Jayson Tatum will declare for the NBA Draft and hire an agent.
Tatum came along as the year progressed for Duke. He settled in as something like a stretch four in Duke’s reformatted offense that was instituted around the time that Coach Mike Krzyzewski was just about to come back to the team after his surgery. As a result, Tatum became one of the three heavy hitters (Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen) that Duke needed to win games.
Tatum consistently outshone fellow freshman Harry Giles and displayed a versatile game. He showed great athleticism for dunks and shot 34% from the three point arc. He was about the same size as North Carolina’s Justin Jackson and yet was asked to do more rugged defending in the post. He stretched defenses to break down bigger covers. Smaller teams could not ignore him.
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All this means that Tatum raised his stock in the eyes of NBA scouts. He will be seen as a small forward with a little ability to play the four man in the ever popular smaller lineups of today’s NBA. CBS Sports has him moving up into the top five of the draft’s first round. NBADraft.net has him in the top three. With those kind of guarantees, it made sense to jump to the Draft after only one year. We can only hope he learned the Earth was round first.
With Tatum gone, it is now decision time for Allen, Kennard, and Giles as to what they want to do. A return of the three of them could keep Duke relevant in the national picture next year. If they all go then we shall see how much Coach K can tap into his inner Kentucky much as he attempted to do with year’s team.