It was not hyperbole when saying that Jon Scheyer was building next season's Duke basketball roster on toughness and defense. Despite it still being mid-May, that's already come true.
The Blue Devils posted on social media that its current players on scholarship have a higher average height than the tallest team in the country last season, Florida State.
Duke currently stands at an average of 79.4 inches, which translates to 6-foot-6 per player.
The Seminoles had an average of 79.3 inches per player last season, according to KenPom.
Average height of current committed scholarship players for next season: 79.4 in.
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) May 13, 2024
FSU was #1 nationally in average height last season -- 79.3 in. (via KenPom)
Now, that doesn't automatically mean that the Blue Devils will be the tallest team in the country next season but it should give Jon Scheyer a Top-5 roster in terms of height and that only adds to the defensive versatility he will have at his disposal.
Freshman center Khaman Maluach anchors that height in the middle of the paint at 7-foot-2 while rookie Pat Ngongba is 6-foot-11 and Cooper Flagg is listed at 6-foot-8.
The smallest players, in terms of their most recent listed height, on next year's squad will be guards Caleb Foster and Kon Knueppel, who are both 6-foot-5.
Sion James, a 6-foot-6 guard from Tulane, was the most recent addition to the roster and will likely be the final major addition to the team. Duke still has two scholarships available but there are no indications at the current time that they will be used for an impact player.
Duke will be trying to recreate its defense from two seasons ago when 7-footers Dereck Lively and Kyle Filipowski anchored the paint en route to an ACC Tournament Championship. The team ranked No. 28 in the country in scoring defense this season.
The Blue Devils will publish more accurate heights for its players when they arrive on campus early this summer for workouts.