The countdown to tip-off has begun in Durham, and the air around Cameron Indoor Stadium feels electric. Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils aren’t just loaded with talent — they’re overflowing with it, and the race for a spot in Duke’s starting five is shaping up to be one of the most intense battles in recent memory. From freshman phenom Cameron Boozer to a revitalized Caleb Foster, and a bench stacked with hungry playmakers, every practice is a proving ground. The only question now is — who will rise, who will surprise, and who will own the court when the lights come on?
Over at CBS, Cameron Cameron Salerno has a post predicting Duke’s starting lineup. Here’s who he has:
Caleb Foster
Isaiah Evans
Cameron Boozer
Patrick Ngongba
Dame Sarr
It’s way too early for this, but we’d say three are almost certainly correct: Boozer, Evans and Ngongba. The other two are less so.
From all reports, Foster has been terrific in practice so far. His confidence is back and he’s playing with a real spark, getting in the lane and running his team well. But Cayden Boozer, Cameron’s twin, is probably going to push him and that’s great. The one thing Jon Scheyer has not been able to find so far is a great point guard. If he has two that are pretty good, they’ll push each other towards greatness.
Sarr may start, but he might be more valuable as a sixth man. At 6-8 and with solid all-around skills, he has the potential to play the sort of role Mike Dunleavy played in his freshman year, where he can come in for at least three players when they need a break or trouble hits.
We don’t think you can rule out Maliq Brown, Darren Harris, Nik Khamenia or Sebastian Wilkins. All of them have the potential to be major recruiters. Brown is likely to essentially split time with Ngongba, whether he starts or comes off the bench. Harris is a brilliant shooter, and reportedly well advanced from where he was last year. Khamenia is a great passer and that would work very well with Boozer and Ngongba, both of whom are also creative passers. And finally, Wilkins apparently is ahead of expectations. Having a bruising power player is not a bad thing.
Watching this all shake out is going to be fun – and it should make everyone individually better too.
