Sebastian Wilkins spent last season in a spot plenty of young players know all too well: watching, learning, and waiting.
Now the Duke redshirt freshman is starting to show why the Blue Devils were willing to give him that development year in the first place. Wilkins, who had originally been part of the 2026 recruiting class before reclassifying into 2025 and enrolling at Duke early, finally got his first game action of the year in Thursday night’s scrimmage against Belmont. Duke rolled to a 102-62 win, and Wilkins turned in eight points, six rebounds, an assist, and two steals while shooting 4-of-10 from the floor.
The 6-foot-8 Brewster Academy product came to Durham as a top-35 recruit in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings. But he landed in a stacked situation.
Jon Scheyer’s incoming group was ranked No. 1 by 247Sports and featured Cameron and Cayden Boozer, former Blue Devil and current UConn Husky Nik Khamenia, and Dame Sarr. With that kind of talent coming in, Wilkins took the redshirt route and used 2025-26 to build his game.
That path fits the bigger picture around this Duke roster. Scheyer added one of the nation’s best high school classes, brought in two notable transfers in John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont, and returned four of his top six scorers from a team that earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. On paper, the Blue Devils are loaded again heading into 2026-27.
The question for Wilkins has been where he fits into all of that. In a team this deep, the minutes won’t just fall into his lap.
His clearest route to the floor looks like the one built around versatility: a reserve 3-and-D wing who can defend multiple spots, stretch the floor, and stay useful without needing the ball. At 6-foot-8, he brings length and switchability, and Duke could use exactly that behind Sarr. The catch is obvious enough - Wilkins likely needs to prove he can hit enough threes, and do it at solid volume, to earn real rotation minutes.
After the Belmont scrimmage, Scheyer explained what stood out during Wilkins’ redshirt year and why it matters now.
"Sebastian really has used that year in the best way because he understands what we're looking for," Scheyer said. "And, he's a great connector on offense...
He's a versatile defender, he has four offensive rebounds tonight. He just does a lot of what, you know, what's called the little things, even though they're not little.
Sebastian does all of it."
Wilkins was part of the final wave of redshirts before the NCAA approved its new age-based eligibility model, and Duke appears to have used that year exactly the way it hoped. He showed defensive pop, the kind that can change a possession in a hurry, and the shot from deep should follow. If Thursday was any indication, Wilkins is not someone to forget about when Duke starts sorting out its rotation.
In Other News...
Dukes First Loss Put One Big Limit On This Team
Dukes first loss of the 2026 season came in Atlanta, a 28-25 defeat to Georgia Tech that left the Blue Devils with a familiar kind of frustration: they were close, productive and still not quite clean enough to finish the job. Penalties were a major reason the night slipped away, and the offense had to navigate a tougher script than usual with running back Nate Sheppard working through the game on a taped foot.
Even with that limitation, Sheppard still led Duke in both rushing and receiving yards, a reminder of how much the Blue Devils lean on him when the margins get tight. Walker Eget helped keep the offense moving with 259 passing yards and a touchdown, stepping up when Sheppard was clearly not at full strength, but Duke still ran into one big limit that showed up at the wrong time and cost it the chance to leave Atlanta unbeaten. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Suddenly Has A Troubling Issue Before North Carolina
Dukes unbeaten start came to an abrupt end with a 28-25 loss to Georgia Tech, and the way it happened left plenty for the Blue Devils to sort through before the rivalry game against North Carolina. The loss exposed issues in the trenches and around the quarterback, even as Nate Sheppard and Walker Eget turned in performances that kept Duke within striking distance deep into the game.
For a team that had been rolling, the concern now is less about one bad night than about what it revealed. Duke struggled to control the line of scrimmage, couldnt consistently generate a pass rush, and again came up short in late-game execution, a combination that turns next week into more than just another ACC game. North Carolina is arriving at a moment when Duke suddenly has to answer a much tougher question about how quickly it can clean this up. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Newcomers Are Embracing A Lineup Edge Fans Will Notice Fast
Jon Scheyer is leaving himself room to lean on a much deeper Duke rotation this season, and that approach was on display during a preseason scrimmage against Belmont. Freshman guard Deron Rippey Jr. and senior transfer guard John Blackwell both sounded encouraged by what they saw, pointing to a roster built with enough depth and versatility to keep the Blue Devils from relying on the same small group every night.
The short-term wrinkle is that Duke is still working through injuries to two players, though the expectation is that both will be ready for the season opener. Even so, the early feel around this group is that Scheyer could have more lineup options than usual, and the newcomers are already embracing the idea that competition for minutes will be part of the teams edge. [Read more 🡒]