Summer workouts are well underway for the Duke basketball program, but the starting five for the 2025-26 season may have already been revealed via a social media post. The Duke basketball X account posted a clip of some 5-on-5 action, and the players in blue jerseys appear to be the starters, at least for now.
ran some 5's at the end of the workout today pic.twitter.com/zltkA2mATq
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 30, 2025
That five includes rising junior Caleb Foster, rising sophomore Isaiah Evans, rising freshman Dame Sarr, rising freshman Cameron Boozer, and transfer center Iffy Ufochukwu.
Foster, Evans, and Boozer are all locks to start on day one for Jon Scheyer, so there's no surprise there. With how young and inexperienced the 2025-26 Blue Devils squad is, Scheyer will need veterans to take on major roles in the backcourt next season. Additionally, Boozer is considered to be one of the most promising rookies in his high school recruiting class. The son of former Duke legend, Carlos Boozer, is ranked as the No. 3 overall player per the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings, but some 2026 NBA mock drafts have Boozer as the first name off the board.
Now, Ufochukwu stepped in as a starter for rising sophomore Pat Ngongba as he continues to get back to 100% health, but the former Rice big man will have a big role on the interior next season as center depth is not a strength of the Blue Devils next season.
The only true centers on the roster are Ufochukwu and Ngongba. Maliq Brown could play the five but thrives more as a stretch four with his elite defensive versatility.
The starting three spot is one of the most intriguing storylines to follow around the Duke program this offseason, as it seems to be a battle between rookies Sarr and Nik Khamenia. Both are talented shooters and great defenders, but Sarr could get the nod as he already has experience playing at a professional level.
Sarr played in 15 Euro League games and another 12 in Liga ACB for FC Barcelona before heading to Durham.
Khamenia just wrapped up a gold medal win with the U19 US squad at the U19 FIBA World Cup, and he was one of the top performers at the showcase.
There are still some roster questions to answer through the summer before the regular season gets underway, but it looks like this is the starting lineup as of now.