Nikolas Khamenia is not a player that Jon Scheyer wanted to lose this offseason. The former 5-star recruit showed some promise as a true freshman and was a key part of Duke's rotation. Despite that, and despite an obvious role on next season's team, the Los Angeles native entered the Transfer Portal anyway.
But the door might not be closed on a potential return to Durham for Khamenia.
In the latest episode of Locked on Blue Devils, host JJ Jackson and guest Kevin Connelly discussed the possibility of Khamenia returning to Duke for his sophomore season:
"The longer this drops out, there have been more and more insiders referencing that the door is not 100% shut on Nik Khamenia coming back to Duke for another season," Jackson said.
"I agree, I don't think it's 100% closed," Connelly responded. "I wouldn't be shocked if he came back. I would be surprised.
Nikolas Khamenia's future could hinge on several factors for Duke
It seems obvious that Khamenia wanted to give himself options this offseason, and that's why he entered the Transfer Portal. If both Isaiah Evans and Dame Sarr elect to return to Duke instead of entering the NBA Draft, then it's hard to envision Khamenia wanting to return to a similar role as he has this past season.
But if one leaves, he might seriously consider running it back. If both do, then Scheyer might put on the full-court press to try to get him back.
It all could also depend on what else Duke does in the Transfer Portal. Things have been pretty quiet so far for the Blue Devils, aside from reported interest in Kansas center Flory Bidunga and Wisconsin guard John Blackwell. Bidunga ultimately committed to Louisville, but the Blue Devils are seriously pursuing other options at center to potentially replace Patrick Ngongba.
Duke covets Blackwell, a 19 points per game scorer for the Badgers this past season. But Blackwell appears to be in no rush to make a decision. He intends to wait until May 8th, a week before the NBA Combine, to make his decision. Scheyer will need to be really confident in his ability to land him to wait that long.
As Connelly said, it would be a surprise - but not a total shock - if Khamenia chooses to return. He's drawing a lot of interest across the country and will have a lot of choices on where he wants to play basketball next season.
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