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Duke forward Amile Jefferson will not return this season
When Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged earlier this week that senior forward Amile Jefferson still "cannot run fluidly" on his broken right foot, it seemed to dim the prospects of the Blue Devils getting their top big man back this season.
Jefferson will not return this season and will seek a medical redshirt, Duke announced a couple hours before tip-off of its final regular season game against North Carolina on Saturday night. The foot simply hasn't made enough progress since Jefferson broke it diving for a loose ball in practice on Dec. 12.
In the absence of Jefferson, Duke's lack of depth will remain an issue in the postseason.
The Blue Devils are 22-8 overall and 11-6 in the ACC despite essentially playing a six-man rotation since Jefferson's injury. Marshall Plumlee has been Duke's lone true big man since Krzyzewski has been hesitant to play freshman Chase Jeter or Rice transfer Sean Obi.
Duke's chances of a deep NCAA tournament run this season are less realistic without Jefferson's leadership, rebounding and defensive presence, but there's a silver lining to this decision. Assuming he receives his medical redshirt and returns as expected, he'll add another key piece to a Duke team that should begin next season No. 1 or 2 in the nation.
Among the players Duke could have back next year include Jefferson, wings Matt Jones and Luke Kennard and point guard Derryck Thornton. They'll be joined by a star-studded incoming class that already includes elite prospects Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Frank Jackson and could potentially add another big man too. Leading scorers Brandon Ingram and Grayson Allen also have eligibility left, but Ingram is a likely top-five pick in next year's draft and Allen also figures to have a chance to be selected.
Regardless, the veteran leadership of Jefferson will help that team. Duke will miss him this March but it will love having him alongside Giles in the frontcourt next season.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
