Jon Scheyer is going to have a problem.
A good problem, but a problem nonetheless.
How on earth is he going to disseminate minutes in the backcourt and keep everyone happy, especially once Caleb Foster returns to the lineup, which could happen as early as Sunday against Kansas in the final exhibition game of the preseason?
He's got four guys who are going to command playing time: Foster, John Blackwell, Cayden Boozer, and freshman sensation Deron Rippey Jr.
In the preseason, many assumed that Rippey would play a small role. He was going to be the energizer bunny off the bench, playing 10-15 minutes a game with relentless effort.
After two preseason games, it's clear that's not going to be enough for the former 5-star recruit. Rippey is an energizer bunny, but his rapid development is going to leave Scheyer with little choice but to eventually put him on the court for as many minutes as he can stomach.
Rippey already looks like a legitimate star.
He was Duke's leading scorer in the blowout win over Tennessee on Tuesday night. He dropped 21 points on a hyper-efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, while dishing out three assists and coming away with three steals. He's much, much further along than anyone assumed, and keeping him off the court is going to be a near impossibility.
Deron Rippey's competitive spirit and ridiculous skill will force Jon Scheyer's hand
Rippey doesn't take plays off. He's going to give you everything he's got when he's between the lines. That's just who he is.
“That’s who I am; that’s always who I’m going to be. I’m undersized; I gotta pick up full court, disrupt the defense, and I feel like that’s what I did today," Rippey said after the game.
With Foster set to return either on Sunday or for the regular season opener against Army the following Monday, Scheyer's going to have a numbers crunch on his hands. There are only 80 minutes per game to go around in the backcourt and four players who deserve serious minutes.
Duke could play some three-guard lineups to open up more minutes, but that will sacrifice some defensive length. There wasn't a single lineup combination against Tennessee in which Rippey, Boozer, and Blackwell shared the floor together. Perhaps that changes when Foster comes back.
Regardless, Rippey is going to eat into someone's minutes. He's simply too talented to keep on the bench. He's got the competitive spirit that Scheyer loves, and he's not afraid of the moment.
“I love his competitive spirit," Scheyer said. "I love the fact that a lot of guys would shy away from competition in his position in the first place. He’s been a student of the game. He’s really tough on himself in terms of being able to quarterback and make the right reads. I’ve loved seeing his development in a short period of time. I thought what he did tonight, the energy he gave us off the bench, was a big lift.”
The most impressive early development is that Rippey's three-point shot looks further along than anyone thought. His shooting figured to be a work in progress, but he knocked down three of his six attempts against Tennessee and looked confident in doing so.
If he's going to shoot like that, along with his ridiculous athleticism, there's not much defenses are going to be able to do to stop him, and there's not going to be a way for Scheyer to keep him on the bench.
He's going to play a major role. After two exhibition games, any hopes of Rippey sticking around for multiple seasons already look foolish. He looks like a one-and-done. Enjoy him while he's here.
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