Duke freshman Jalen Johnson is out indefinitely with a foot injury and won’t play on Wednesday against Notre Dame, the school announced Tuesday.
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward, is the team’s most talented player and top NBA draft prospect.
Ranked No. 13 in the ESPN 100 for the 2020 class, Johnson is averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds through four games. He started his career with 19 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and four blocks against Coppin State on Nov. 28, and followed that up with 11 points in a loss to Michigan State.
He has struggled on the offensive end the last two games, finishing with seven points on 3-for-10 shooting against Illinois last week.
Despite the early-season inconsistency, Johnson ranks as the No. 5 prospect in ESPN’s 2021 NBA draft rankings.
After Duke’s game against Notre Dame on Wednesday, the Blue Devils don’t play again until Dec. 29 against Pittsburgh.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski announced last week his team wouldn’t play any more nonconference games this season, canceling a scheduled game against Gardner-Webb and deciding against rescheduling two previously postponed contests.
Duke is just 2-2 this season, with wins over Coppin State and Bellarmine and losses to Michigan State and Illinois. The Blue Devils fell 11 spots to No. 21 in this week’s AP poll.