Duke Loses Another Rotation Player to Transfer Portal

The exodus from Duke following the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament continues. After Mark Mitchell and Christian Reeves, the backup point guard for the Blue Devils, Jaylen Blakes also announced that he is entering the transfer portal.

In a post he shared on Instagram, Blakes thanked the Duke community and said he is entering the portal as a grad transfer.

Duke News: Jaylen Blakes is Entering The Transfer Portal

This is an understandable decision on Blakes' part. After a sophomore season when he saw an increase in minutes and role, the junior guard went back to becoming more of a depth option in the 2023-24 season. His offensive role continued to shrink and he was rarely used as the season progressed, barely touching the ball on offense when he was out there.

In Blakes' defense, offense was never his strong suit. His calling card has been his energy, hustle, and defense ever since he was a four-star recruit out of New Jersey in 2021. He always left it all out there on the court and will be remembered fondly among Duke fans.

However, it was always going to be difficult for Blakes to get minutes next season with the incoming freshman class. Arguably the best recruiting class in the country and one of the best Duke has ever had, the Blue Devils will be deep and talented, especially in the backcourt. There was likely not going to be a place for Blakes considering the fact that he hasn't shown much improvement on the offensive end.

We will keep track of where Blakes ends up. He had 11 other offers during the recruitment process before choosing Duke, so he should have no shortage of options in the transfer portal.

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