Duke’s offseason haul gave the Blue Devils a clear name to circle on offense: John Blackwell.
The Wisconsin transfer landed near the top of Duke’s list of additions, and there’s already a strong case that he was the best transfer in college basketball this offseason. The expectation is simple enough - Blackwell should not only have a big year in Durham, but push himself into All-American territory.
That said, Duke isn’t built around just one player. The roster has enough talent that the bigger question may be how the offense gets distributed, not whether it has enough firepower. If this team looks like the kind of Duke squad it usually does, there’s a path to multiple All-Americans and even multiple first-round picks in the 2027 NBA Draft.
Still, when you sort through the options, Blackwell looks like the most obvious focal point right now. He brings the experience to handle that role, and the ability to match it.
“There's a good chance that Wisconsin transfer lead guard John Blackwell is the fulcrum of this offense. How does Jon Scheyer shape-shift it?
It's hard not to trust this staff to press the right buttons offensively. Duke uses non-shooters as spacers in excellent ways to clear driving lanes, and the quartet of Blackwell, Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster and five-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. gives Scheyer four guards who can boogie to the rim at will.
“Duke has multiple bigs who can pass, multiple shooters, plenty of athleticism and the deepest point guard room in the land. If high-upside youngsters like Boumtje-Boumtje or Cameron Williams pop, Duke will be a shoo-in to finish in the top 10 offensively for the fourth-straight season,” Isaac Trotter wrote.
Duke’s depth is a big reason it’s being mentioned as one of the two best teams in the country next season, behind only the University of Florida. That same depth is also why it makes sense to temper the idea that Blackwell has to put up huge scoring numbers.
Even so, Duke fans have seen this before: a star doesn’t need to clear 20 points a night for the team to have real national title ambitions.
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Kansas will bring plenty of intrigue into that meeting, especially with highly rated freshman Tyran Stokes arriving as the kind of player who can change the tone of a game before the season even starts. With the Jayhawks also dealing with significant roster turnover, the exhibition offers an early measuring stick for both programs, and a reminder that these preseason dates can feel a lot more serious than the label suggests. [Read more 🡒]