Yes, Duke's entire starting five was drafted into the NBA, which is pretty impressive, but also pretty devastating to the depth chart.
However, head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils did retain two of their stars, one who was a starter for a lot of the season last year and another who was a five-star prospect who could have committed anywhere.
Either could have declared for the 2025 NBA Draft or decided to transfer to another program. Both decided to stay in Durham for at least one more season.
Caleb Foster, who was in the starting lineup at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, and Isaiah Evans, who contributed significant minutes as a true freshman last year, both chose to stick around at Duke for another season. This says a ton about the program and culture that Scheyer has built.
Jon Scheyer is doing more than just winning at Duke
Yes, Scheyer took over a program from Mike Krzyzewski, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, and that came with a lot of benefits. However, those benefits don't always guarantee success.
Just look at Kalen DeBoer's first year after taking over the Alabama football program from Nick Saban or Hubert Davis since taking over at North Carolina for Roy Williams as a couple of examples.
Scheyer has been able to keep the Blue Devils at the top of the college basketball totem pole since taking over in 2022. He has repeatedly brought in the top high school talents and produced NBA-caliber prospects. He has also retained elite athletes like Foster and Evans.
Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster's experience crucial to Blue Devils' roster
Last season, Evans started in just three games for Duke, but he played in 36 as a true freshman, averaging nearly 14 minutes per game. He earned 6.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.2 blocks per game, all of which are expected to blossom during his sophomore campaign.
Foster started in the first seven games for the Blue Devils and played in nearly every game last season. A big reason he ended up losing his starting role was that he went through a bit of a sophomore slump, earning just 4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.6 steals per game; all of which were less than he averaged during his freshman campaign.
No, Foster and Evans' stat lines don't compare to those of Cooper Flagg or Kon Knueppel. However, their experience and somewhat veteran status are going to be crucial to a Duke squad that is filled with fresh faces.
Duke Blue Devils' projected starting lineup
- Caleb Foster, point guard, junior
- Isaiah Evans, shooting guard, sophomore
- Dame Sarr, power forward, freshman
- Cameron Boozer, power forward, freshman
- Patrick Ngongba II, center, sophomore
Foster is likely to be the only upperclassman in Duke's starting lineup, which could easily include two true freshmen in Italian star Dame Sarr and five-star prospect Cameron Boozer playing the wing positions.
Patrick Ngongba II played in 30 games for the Blue Devils last season, averaging just 10 minutes per appearance, but could easily step into the starting role (especially since he stands at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds).
The Blue Devils will tip off their season with an exhibition game against the UCF Knights on Tuesday, Oct 21.