Duke freshman Jalen Johnson, top 2020 recruit and leading rebounder, out indefinitely with foot injury
Johnson has a foot injury that will keep him out of Wednesday's game vs. Notre Dame
By
Kyle Boone
•
1 min read
Duke's dreadful December devolved from bad to worse on Tuesday as the program announced that Jalen Johnson, the highest-rated signee in its star-studded 2020 recruiting class, is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Johnson will not play in the Blue Devils' game on Wednesday against Notre Dame as they open up ACC play.
Johnson is tied for the team lead this season in total rebounds and is the third-leading scorer. He leads the team in percentage of possessions used through four games as well, a KenPom.com metric that assigns credit (or blame) to a player when their actions end a possession. The stat factors in made shots, missing a shot that isn't rebounded by the offense, or committing a turnover.
Thus far, Johnson has been one of Duke's most efficient players this season. He accounts for the third-most shots taken on the season and has a 54.3% field goal percentage, tops among Duke players who are averaging at least 15 minutes per night on the team.
Duke's penultimate game of the 2020 calendar year takes place Wednesday, which could afford Johnson ample time to rest and recover. The program canceled its remaining nonconference slate earlier this month, leaving nearly a two-week gap between the Dec. 16 game vs. the Irish and the second ACC game on Dec. 29 against Pittsburgh.
The Blue Devils are 2-2 on the season. Their tilt against Notre Dame on Wednesday is their first road game of the season.
