Duke has a loaded roster heading into the 2026-27 season. Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils got practice underway on Tuesday, and we're just 10 days away from the Countdown to Craziness and just over two weeks away from the preseason opener against Belmont. College basketball season is upon us.
The consensus for Duke is that three of the five spots in the starting lineup are effectively spoken for. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will start in the backcourt and seems like a safe bet to be the Blue Devils' leading scorer. He'll be joined by two pivotal roster retention wins for Scheyer this offseason in Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba II, both of whom could have entered the NBA Draft and been in the discussion in the late first/early second round range.
That leaves two spots and four realistic candidates to fill them.
Duke has position battles at PG and PF to sort through this preseason
At point guard, senior Caleb Foster is the favorite to start alongside Blackwell with his edge in experience, but sophomore Cayden Boozer is going to make a real push for the job. Boozer is the better facilitator, and he was outstanding down the stretch for the Blue Devils last season while Foster was banged up and unavailable.
Foster's the better shooter, which can't be discounted, but Boozer's ability to control the game and set up his opponents could be critical on the offensive end of the floor. Regardless of who starts, both will play significant roles for Duke this season.
Add 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. to the mix, and the Blue Devils have one of the nation's top backcourts.
At PF, Duke is likely choosing between two elite freshmen. For a long time, it was assumed that Cameron Williams was the favorite for the spot. But the late addition - and summer blowup - of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje changed everything.
Boumtje Boumtje is already the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. He'll play his entire freshman season at just 17-years-old. It'll take him some time to get comfortable in the college game, but he has the highest ceiling on the roster, and it's going to be difficult to keep him off the court.
With his and Williams' versatility, Duke will have the option of some supersized lineups where they shift Williams down to the three with Boumtje Boumtje and Ngongba in the frontcourt. That might be the lineup that can best combat Florida's gigantic frontcourt.
Both Boumtje Boumtje and Williams will have roles on this team, but that starting spot is very much up for grabs with practice just getting underway.
My best guess at the starting five as things stand:
- G Caleb Foster
- G John Blackwell
- G/F Dame Sarr
- F Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje
- C Patrick Ngongba II
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