After Duke defeated North Carolina and fans finally let the reality set in that veteran guard Caleb Foster was truly injured during the rivalry matchup, head coach Jon Scheyer shared that he'd be surprised if either Foster or Patrick Ngongba II played in the coming week.
Of course, the week ahead features the ACC Tournament, where the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed, so missing two of your usual starters isn't ideal.
However, it isn't like the Blue Devils have scrubs sitting on the bench, waiting for the opportunity to step into games. In fact, Foster's backup is none other than Cayden Boozer, the four-star prospect who was the No. 4 point guard in the class of 2025.
Duke fans should be excited to see Cayden Boozer as a starter
Yes, of course, it hurts that Foster might miss the entirety of the ACC Tournament, but Scheyer was absolutely correct when he said that the team's health for the following NCAA Tournament was the priority.
For now, it's time for Boozer to shine, alongside his brother Cameron Boozer, who has been a starter since he first arrived on campus.
So far this season, the point guard Boozer has played in all 31 of Duke's games, starting in four of them. He has averaged just 20.7 minutes, but has also averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game in his limited role.
When Foster went down against Carolina last night, Boozer entered the game as the Blue Devils' PG2 and contributed 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Scheyer brought both Boozer brothers here to play elite roles for the Blue Devils, whether that be starting them as freshmen or waiting a year or two for them to step into that starting lineup. Now, maybe earlier than people have come to expect, Cayden is joining Cameron in the starting five.