Duke basketball: Jon Scheyer only has one thing left to prove

Jon Scheyer only has one thing left to prove with the Duke basketball program. 

It has been a seamless transition for Jon Scheyer after being named as the head coach-in-waiting of the Duke basketball program, but the last-year associate head coach still has one thing left to prove.

Since officially being named as the successor to Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, Scheyer has been on a recruiting rampage as he has landed commitments from five-star recruits Dereck Lively (2022), Dariq Whitehead (2022), Kyle Filipowski (2022), and Caleb Foster (2023) in addition to four-star Jaden Schutt (2022).

Already known as one of the best recruiters in the country, Scheyer now seems to be the most feared man on the recruiting trail after most recently landing a commitment from Lively, who was originally projected to land at Kentucky.

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It has always been known that Scheyer is an excellent recruiter, and he has proved to these high school prospects that there will be no difference in Durham once Krzyzewski departs his position in April.

Jon Scheyer created a reputation for being able to build relationships with future, current, and past players while keeping those strong relationships once the players progressed into their next journeys, whether that be in basketball or something else, a quality that is vital to the success of a college basketball program.

However, while all these characteristics have translated to the early stages of Scheyer’s new position, he still has one thing left to prove once Mike Krzyzewski officially retires as the Duke basketball head coach.

What does the next Duke basketball head coach have to prove?

Can Jon Scheyer be a head coach?

Yes, recruiting and building relationships are in the job description of being a head coach at the collegiate level, but can Scheyer consistently draw up the perfect play with Duke trailing by one point with 5.6 seconds left needing to go the length of the floor?

Can he make a lineup or game plan adjustment on the fly as Duke trails by 12 in the second half inside the Dean Dome?

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Will there be mistakes? Of course, there will be mistakes, but something there is not a large sample size of is if Jon Scheyer can be as elite with the Xs-and-Os as he is on the recruiting trail.

Scheyer did have to step up and fill the role of head coach last season as Mike Krzyzewski had to sit out due to exposure to COVID-19, and he led the Blue Devils to an uncomfortable 1-point home victory over Boston College.

While Jon Scheyer is off to a great start as the next leader of the Blue Devils, one victory does not prove that he is going to be the next Mike Krzyzewski, and one loss does not prove that Duke made a poor choice by handing over the reins of the program to a first-time head coach.

Nonetheless, it will not be for another year, but Jon Scheyer must still prove that he can be as good on the court as he has already proved to be off the court.