Jon Scheyer isn’t getting caught up in Cayden Boozer’s box score.
That’s the big takeaway as Duke sorts through its point guard picture heading into the regular season. Boozer has opened the preseason in the starting five for the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils, and with three exhibition games in the books, he looks like the slight favorite to run the offense when the games start counting. He’s ahead, at least for now, of freshman Deron Rippey Jr. and senior Caleb Foster, who missed the first two exhibitions while recovering from an ankle injury.
The numbers from Boozer’s exhibition run don’t jump off the page. Across wins over Belmont, Tennessee and Kansas, he finished with 20 points and 10 assists in 67 minutes. But Scheyer made clear this week that the production doesn’t tell the full story.
"I don't want to say it's misleading, but sometimes you don't feel his impact the way that you understand it when you're digesting and watching the course of the game." fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer explained about Boozer during this week's edition of Fast Break with Coach Scheyer. "His passing changed the game in the Kansas game.
He made so many plays without dribbling. He made a bunch of plays where I would call it a hockey assist, like he made the pass to the next pass.
"So again, I don't think all of this stuff is going to show up on the box score... He's taking care of the ball: 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio [across the exhibitions]...
We need him to play that way. And I do believe also his scoring will be there as well."
Boozer’s control has been a major part of the appeal. He turned it over only twice in the exhibitions, which works out to one giveaway every 33.5 minutes. He also helped set the pace for Duke’s offense, showing the kind of steadiness Scheyer wants from the primary ball-handler.
And while the scoring wasn’t huge, Boozer didn’t waste his chances. He shot 5-for-15 from the field, 2-for-4 from three and a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line during the exhibition wins.
Boozer’s role is nothing new for Duke. Last season, he started 11 of his 38 games as the Blue Devils went 35-3, won both the ACC regular season and tournament titles, and reached the Elite Eight. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and he became the team’s go-to point guard late in the year while Foster was working back from injury.
Now Duke turns the page to the opener. The Blue Devils host Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday on ESPNU.
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