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Report: Duke’s Marques Bolden staying in draft

Maine v Duke

DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 03: Marques Bolden #20 of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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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.

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.