Duke basketball could use secret weapon at point guard for major roster flexibility

There will not be a lack of talent on the Duke basketball team next season but there could be some questions as to how Jon Scheyer will get his best players on the court at the same time.

The Blue Devils will be headlined by superstar freshman Cameron Boozer but key returns Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Pat Ngongba, and Maliq Brown will also heavily factor into the success of the team.

However, fans got an early look at another promising Duke rookie over the last month in 5-star prospect Nik Khamenia, who competed at the FIBA U19 World Cup with Team USA.

Khamenia was a star in training camp with the team, including the ability to showcase his playmaking abilities.

“[Nikolas Khamenia] will be a high level teammate for the Blue Devils,” ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla said after watching one of the Team USA practice.

“Among all the things, a great passer for a 6-8 player.”

Khamenia saw his playing time fluctuate in the tournament, averaging 15.2 minutes per game while posting 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 turnovers as the Americans won the gold medal.

The door has been left open for the rookie to play point guard next season in spots, very similar to the development of Sion James and Kon Knueppel this season when each player was able to orchestrate the offense.

Limiting turnovers will be key for Nik Khamenia in his attempt to learn the postion but he notched five assists in the team’s final group stage game against Cameroon and four assists in the Round of 16 matchup against Jordan.

In the final four games, he only totaled two turnovers after committing eight giveaways in the opening three games.

Caleb Foster will likely command most of the minutes at point guard to begin the season for Duke, but if he struggles again like he did during his sophomore season, freshmen Cayden Boozer and Nik Khamenia could be next to fill the role.