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USATSI

Duke is losing another key piece of its roster from last season as starting guard DJ Steward, the team's second-leading scorer, announced Thursday that he has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. Steward says he plans to sign with an agent and thus will forfeit his remaining college eligibility.

"DJ had an incredible freshman season and he has so much more potential," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He is going to keep getting better and better and I can't wait to watch his professional career develop. DJ will be an asset to any NBA team with an attitude and energy that make him very easy and enjoyable to coach."

It wasn't immediately clear after the season if Steward, ranked No. 41 on the CBS Sports Big Board, would return next season or head to the NBA. However because of Duke's loaded incoming recruiting class that consists of two top-10 talents, Steward parlaying his solid freshman season into turning pro will help capitalize on his stock while it's still relatively high. Even in a draft loaded with guards, Steward's combo-guard skill set could launch him close to the first-round radar.

His departure marks the third noteworthy one of the last few months joining Jalen Johnson, a former five-star recruit, who opted out in the middle of the season to prepare for the NBA Draft. Former top-50 recruit Jaemyn Brakefield is also leaving as a transfer. It's likely Duke will lose starting forward and leading scorer Matthew Hurt to the draft, too.

For as bleak as all this sounds, Duke is in the position to withstand the losses and -- perhaps -- enter next season as a real contender. Krzyzewski and his staff already have commitments from Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin and are squarely in the hunt to land five-stars Trevor Keels and Patrick Baldwin Jr.