Three years after coming to Durham as part of Duke's highly touted Class of 2016, Marques Bolden will join former Blue Devil teammates Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Frank Jackson in the NBA.
Chris Haynes reported Monday evening and the team confirmed Tuesday morning that Bolden will remain in the NBA Draft process, after previously announcing April 22 that he would test the NBA Draft waters. The 6-foot-11 senior had until Wednesday to decide whether or not he would return to Duke for the 2018-19 season.
Heralded as the No. 16 recruit coming out of high school, Bolden struggled to make an impact in his freshman year with the Blue Devils. The Desoto, Texas native battled injuries for much of the 2016-17 campaign, and averaged just 1.5 points in 24 games.
Bolden showed signs of improvement his sophomore season, but really broke out last winter. Along with Zion Williamson, Bolden anchored the sixth-most efficient defense in the country, and ranked among the top 50 in all of college basketball in block percentage.
Despite his strong pedigree, Bolden was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine or the NBA G-League Elite Camp. The Duke product is not included in ESPN's top 100 prospects, but has recently worked out for several teams.
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