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Duke Basketball: Jayson Tatum to enter NBA Draft with agent

By Stuart Gill

Feb 25, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) is pressured by Miami Hurricanes forward Kamari Murphy (21) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) is pressured by Miami Hurricanes forward Kamari Murphy (21) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke Basketball’s Jayson Tatum has officially declared for the 2017 NBA Draft after a stellar freshman campaign.

Jayson Tatum has officially declared for the 2017 NBA Draft and will hire an agent, ending his Duke basketball career after one season.

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Tatum averaged 16.5 points in 34.5 minutes per game in his freshman season, good enough to make him the 13th best scorer in the ACC and seventh among forwards. But even from his high school mixtape and his earliest games as a Blue Devil, it was clear that he was prepared to play at the highest level despite being just 19 years old.

Standing 6’8” and weighing over 200 pounds, Tatum appears to have every characteristic necessary to succeed in the NBA. At Duke, he had success in grabbing rebounds over larger, less athletic players as well as smaller guards who didn’t have his height and stature. And after lots of those rebounds he was the guy bringing the ball up the court, sometimes going coast-to-coast for layups and dunks in between, around, or just straight through multiple defenders. He also shot over 34 percent from beyond the three-point line and looked comfortable running Duke’s offense late in close games throughout the season. His skill set is surprisingly well-rounded and polished given his age.

Tatum is the first of many freshmen who are expected to be selected early in the 2017 NBA Draft. Markelle Fultz of Washington, Lonzo Ball of UCLA and Malik Monk of Kentucky are some of the other players who have made remarkable names for themselves in just one year of collegiate basketball. Tatum is also the eighth Duke player to go pro after his freshman season, joining the likes of Kyrie Irving, Jabari Parker, and Justise Winslow, to name a few.

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Tatum has been compared to Paul Pierce, due to his consistent shooting and ability to dominate in one-on-one matchups. His reliability and room for improvement make him a top-10 pick and put him in a great position to make an immediate impact on whichever franchise selects him. Fellow Duke standouts Grayson Allen, Harry Giles and Luke Kennard have yet to declare whether they intend to remain at Duke or enter the NBA Draft.

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