After two soul-crushing losses to end its previous two seasons, the Duke basketball team has reloaded its roster with the hope of finally reaching the mountain top in college basketball this spring.
Head coach Jon Scheyer combined a strong cast of returning players along with impact transfers, led by Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, and a loaded recruiting class that is headlined by potential National Player of the Year contender Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
The Blue Devils took the court for their first official practice on Monday, and while the roster is one of the most talented in the country entering the season, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Duke basketball squad that will have to be answered in the preseason.
How does the backcourt shake out?
There might not be a deeper backcourt in the country than what currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.
At the moment, it’s an embarrassment of riches that was jump-started by the returns of Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer and only got stronger with the addition of Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and freshmen Deron Rippey Jr. and Bryson Howard.
The problem is that only two – sometimes three – will likely be on the court at the same time. It’s a very talented group of players, all of whom will likely believe that they should be on the court.
Currently, it feels like the veterans, Foster, Boozer, and Blackwell, have the upper hand on the rookies, but if Rippey Jr.'s speed and athleticism shine as well as Howard’s ability to score and shoot from the outside, the freshmen could make playing time decisions very hard for Jon Scheyer.
Frontcourt depth
For as talented as the Duke backcourt is, there are questions about its depth up front.
The Blue Devils will be anchored by junior Patrick Ngongba in the middle, but he’s missed time each of the last two seasons due to injury and made a late addition in the transfer portal with Belmont 6-foot-9 forward Drew Scharnowski.
Scheyer also landed 5-star 7-foot forward Cameron Williams during the recruiting cycle before landing the 7-foot-1 Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
However, Duke does not envision Boumtje Boumtje as a traditional center. His skill set serves him best as a swing power forward despite his height. Surely the Blue Devils could use their potential superstar freshman at center if needed, but it could be the duo of Williams and Scharnowski if anything were to happen to Ngongba.
How big of a jump do the sophomores make?
Each offseason, Duke adds a plethora of talent that usually makes the Blue Devils a National Championship contender, but this year it is the retention that could make this team really special.
Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr each made an impact at various points of the season a year ago, but the leap that both players will take going into this season could determine the ceiling for Duke.
Sarr shined as a defender for the entirety of his freshman season, although his offensive game is a work in progress, while Boozer proved, at times, that he can be a reliable point guard.
If each player is able to use their experiences from a season ago and progress throughout the summer, Duke could be poised for another very special season.
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