Marques Bolden’s career with Duke is apparently over.
The junior will remain in the NBA draft and forego his remaining eligibility, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Marques Bolden of Duke will forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and remain in the 2019 NBA Draft. He will be co-repped by Rich Gray (@iamrichgray) of Gray Area Sports Group and Chris Gaston (@gastonbball) of Family First Sports Firm (@famfirstsports).
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 27, 2019
Bolden, a former five-star recruit, battled injuries throughout much of his time in Durham. He averaged just 6.5 minutes per game in an injury-riddled freshman season and then 12.9 minutes per game as a sophomore. This past season, he played a career-high 19.9 minutes per game, but an MCL injury sidelined him near the end of the season before he returned for the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-11 center averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field as he was deployed in strategic fashion as Coach K unlock the full value of his talented freshmen quartet of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones.
Given his injury history and another star-studded Duke recruiting class that features center Vernon Carey and forward Matthew Hurt, Bolden’s decision to pursue a professional career shouldn’t come as much as a surprise, nor will it likely be a major hit to Duke’s title hopes in 2020. Bolden at times showed the talent that made him such a highly-touted prospect coming out of De Soto, Texas, but the injuries and then successive monster recruiting classes made his three years with Duke underwhelming.