No Duke player drew more attention at media day on Thursday than star freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. The 17-year-old had an incredible summer that saw his stock blow up to the point that he's the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in 2028. He's too young to enter the draft after this season, meaning Jon Scheyer should get him for two years.
He's arrived in Durham with significant hype. It was clear that Duke had a plan to try to quell some of that hype on Thursday. He is just a 17-year-old kid, after all, who is going to take some time to adjust to the American game after spending the last few years playing in Barcelona.
It won't be a seamless transition. Probably.
Duke assistant Emanuel Dildy mentioned that Boumtje Boumtje has "looked amazing some days and struggled in others", per Conor O'Neill.
That's to be expected. It also might not be reality.
Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba didn't seem to agree with that assessment.
Sarr made the transition from Europe to American college ball last season. He seemed envious of where Boumtje Boumtje already is.
"I don't know if he's struggling," Sarr said. "Every time I see him out there, he looks pretty good to me. He's an unbelievable player."
Ngongba backed that up.
“Yeah, I’m with Dame on this one," Ngongba said. "I mean, he’s looked like he belongs out there. The physicality of the game doesn’t look like it’s impacting him at all.”
The Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje hype continues to build despite Duke's best efforts
Media got to attend 15 minutes of open practice for Duke on Thursday. A lot of eyes were on Boumtje Boumtje, who was effortlessly splashing in three-pointers. Some referred to him as a 7-foot-2 guard. You don't normally see guys who are that big with that kind of shooting ability. Especially at just 17 years old.
Duke will be cautious with Boumtje Boumtje. Scheyer knows he has something special, and he isn't going to rush his development. He'll bring him along at his own pace.
His own pace might be pretty fast, though. He had a dominant summer playing for Barcelona and then Team USA. He was the best player on every court he stepped onto, and it might not be that long before he's the best player in college basketball.
He'll compete with fellow 5-star freshman Cameron Williams this preseason for the starting spot next to Ngongba in the frontcourt. Williams looked like the early favorite for the job, but many have changed their opinion to Boumtje Boumtje, myself included.
He's just too talented to keep on the bench. His ability to stretch the floor on offense while providing a second menacing presence in the paint defensively gives Scheyer a lot of options.
Duke fans won't have to wait much longer to get a real look at him. The first exhibition game against Belmont is less than two weeks away. Much like it was for the media on Thursday, Duke fans will have all eyes on Boumtje Boumtje, too.
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