Duke’s backcourt already looks loaded, but Deron Rippey Jr. may be the freshman who changes the whole conversation.
The Blue Devils bring back a strong core in Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and returner Caleb Foster, while rising sophomore Cayden Boozer has already shown how much he can handle after taking on a heavier workload late in his first season in Durham. That’s plenty of talent before Rippey even enters the picture.
And Rippey is the kind of guard who can make a coach start rethinking the rotation.
A consensus 5-star recruit and the No. 13 overall player in the 247 composite, Rippey arrives with the kind of pedigree Duke has not had in recent years. He’s a hyper-athletic guard who plays with a reckless abandon that should win over the Cameron Crazies fast. The expectation is that he starts out coming off the bench, but the way he plays could quickly push Jon Scheyer into a tougher decision.
The athleticism is the first thing that jumps out. Rippey is the type of player who can make an impact just by bringing energy, pressure and hustle to the floor. Even if it takes him time to get comfortable running the offense at the point, he has the tools to affect the game right away.
The challenge, of course, is minutes. Rippey will be battling three other proven guards for playing time.
Foster is likely to open the season as the point guard. Boozer is a natural lead guard.
Blackwell can also handle the ball, and he said after committing to Duke that part of the appeal was getting more on-ball opportunities.
That means Rippey may spend some of his time off the ball early on. But Duke will also want him attacking with the ball in his hands.
He’s dangerous off the dribble and could already be the best guard on the roster at getting downhill and putting real pressure on the rim. That kind of attack can open up kick-out threes for Blackwell, Foster, Dame Sarr and freshman big Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Rippey will have to earn whatever minutes he gets, but the signs point to him doing exactly that. Scheyer values the attitude and mentality he brings, and Rippey is coming to Durham ready to do whatever it takes to help win games.
That gives Duke something even more dangerous than depth: a backcourt with room to level up. The veterans are already strong. Rippey has the chance to make them even better.
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What makes his story stand out now is the way he has kept showing up after a pair of major setbacks across the last two seasons. Morris is back on the field and back in the mix as a veteran presence, balancing football with his studies at Fuqua while drawing league-wide notice on the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List. For Duke, that makes him more than a depth chart note. It makes him a storyline worth following every time he steps on the field. [Read more 🡒]
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Now a sixth-year player enrolled in Dukes Fuqua School of Business, Morris has found himself on the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List, a fitting bit of recognition for someone whose path has been anything but straightforward. For Duke, his presence is about more than just depth at linebacker. It is a reminder that there is still room for a late-surging redemption story in a season that could use one. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger concern may be what Eget is working with around him. Duke lost its top receivers from last season, leaving a wideout room that has to prove itself almost from scratch, and the early picture suggests the Blue Devils are still sorting out the pecking order behind the top options. For a team trying to stay in the title mix, the offense does not need to be spectacular right away, but it does need to be reliable enough to avoid putting too much weight on the defense. [Read more 🡒]