Duke’s preseason has barely begun, but Jon Scheyer already has two lineup calls that could shape the Blue Devils’ opening stretch.
Practice started Tuesday for a team that looks loaded on paper, and the clock is moving fast: Countdown to Craziness is 10 days away, and Belmont is waiting just over two weeks from now in the preseason opener. Three starters already look set, which leaves Scheyer sorting through two key spots and four legitimate options.
The safest projection is in the backcourt. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is expected to start and looks like Duke’s best bet to lead the team in scoring. He’ll be flanked by Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba II, two major retention wins for Scheyer after both players could have tested the NBA Draft waters and landed in the late first/early second-round conversation.
That leaves point guard and power forward as the real battlegrounds.
At point guard, senior Caleb Foster has the edge because of his experience, and that matters. But sophomore Cayden Boozer is going to push hard for the job.
Boozer brings more as a facilitator and finished last season strong for Duke while Foster was dealing with injury and unavailable. Foster is the better shooter, and that still counts for plenty, but Boozer’s ability to steer the offense and create for teammates could be a big piece of what Duke wants on that end.
Even if Foster gets the nod, both guards should have meaningful roles.
The addition of five-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. only deepens that backcourt. Duke has the look of one of the nation’s best groups there.
The bigger intrigue may be at power forward, where Duke is choosing between two highly touted freshmen. For a while, Cameron Williams looked like the clear favorite. Then Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje arrived late and had a huge summer, and that changed the picture.
Boumtje Boumtje is already being viewed as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2028 NBA Draft, and he’ll play his freshman season at 17 years old. There will be an adjustment period as he gets used to college basketball, but his ceiling is the highest on the roster, and that makes him awfully hard to keep off the floor.
Williams and Boumtje Boumtje both bring versatility, and that gives Duke a chance to go big. One option would be sliding Williams to the three and pairing Boumtje Boumtje with Ngongba in the frontcourt. That could be the look best suited to handle Florida’s massive front line.
For now, though, the job is still open. Williams and Boumtje Boumtje are both going to play, but the starting spot is there to be won as Duke’s first practices unfold.
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