When Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson withdrew from the 2022 NBA draft and returned to Eugene, there were immediately questions about how Dana Altman would find playing time for the bevy of talented playmakers.
That question got a little bit easier to answer on Thursday after a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that Dior Johnson, a five-star prospect and the No. 4 ranked point guard in the class of 2022, plans to decommit from the Ducks and explore other college options.
Johnson saw a once wide open backcourt situation in Eugene gradually fill up with transfers and returners, clouding up his path to immediate playing time for the Ducks.
When the season ended, Johnson looked in line to potentially start as a true freshman for Oregon in 2022. Jacob Young was out the door, Will Richardson was exploring the NBA draft, and Eric Williams and De’Vion Harmon both entered the transfer portal and found new homes at San Diego and Texas Tech, respectively.
However, Altman and his staff struck quickly via the portal, adding Jermaine Couisnard out of South Carolina and Keeshawn Barthelemy from Colorado.
Those two additions, along with the two junior college guards – Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby – would have been enough to make any young guard reconsider his decision.
The return of Rivaldo Soares didn’t help matters, and the final nail in the coffin was almost certainly the return of Richardson, who immediately steps into the role of primary ball-handler for Altman’s squad.
Johnson will have no shortage of interest among the premier college basketball programs in the country, although finding a situation with a clear path to playing time – on a Power-5 team – may be a challenge at this late stage of the offseason.
