Deron Rippey Jr. may create a Duke problem Jon Scheyer will happily embrace

The feeling nationally surrounding Jon Scheyer's 2026-27 roster is that Duke should have a much-improved backcourt.

Led by two seniors in Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and returner Caleb Foster, Duke has an elite starting duo. Then there's rising sophomore Cayden Boozer, who showed tremendous improvement throughout his first season in Durham and shouldered a much heavier workload down the stretch with Foster on the mend.

That's a dynamic trio by itself. But arguably the most intriguing player in the Duke backcourt will be 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr., a hyper-athletic guard who plays the game with a reckless abandon that will immediately endear him to the Cameron Crazies.

Rippey is going to come off the bench initially, but he could force Scheyer into an uncomfortable decision as the season progresses.

Deron Rippey Jr. could force himself into major minutes as a freshman at Duke

Rippey will be one of the best athletes in college basketball the moment he steps onto the court for the first time.

Look at that bounce, man. Purely ridiculous.

He's going to make an impact with his hustle and athleticism, even if it takes him some time to settle into running the offense from the point.

Playing the lead guard spot at the college level isn't easy, and Rippey will be fighting for minutes against three other proven guards. Foster is likely to start at point guard, and Boozer is a natural lead guard. Blackwell will get minutes on-ball, too. He mentioned after committing to Duke that part of the allure was being on-ball more.

So Rippey could see time as an off-ball guard when he's on the court. But Scheyer will want the ball in his hands a lot, too. He's dynamic off the bounce, and he might immediately be the best guard on the roster at getting to the rim and putting pressure on the interior of the defense. That could lead to some kick-out opportunities for open threes for guys like Blackwell, Foster, Dame Sarr, and freshman big Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje to take advantage of.

Rippey will have to earn the minutes that he gets, but there's little doubt that he's going to. He's got the attitude and mentality that Scheyer covets. He's coming to Durham to do whatever it takes to win basketball games.

He's also coming to Duke with the type of guard pedigree that the Blue Devils haven't had in recent years. He was a consensus 5-star recruit and the No. 13 overall player in the 247 composite.

Duke's backcourt will be a major strength in 2026-27. The experienced guys are really good, but Rippey has the potential to take it to another level.

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