ACC Preview # 18 – Duke, Part I

A lot of people thought Duke would fall off when Mike Krzyzewski retired. It didn't happen.

When Coach K announced in June 2021 that he would step away after the 2021-22 season, some mocked him and accused him of wanting a farewell tour. More thoughtful observers figured he had a plan. He did.

Duke named Jon Scheyer his successor, which let Krzyzewski work even more closely with his young protege and gave Scheyer time to recruit his own players. The result has been one of the most successful handoffs from a legendary coach to his successor in the history of the sport.

Scheyer has done a brilliant job so far, and has adapted to the new era as well as any coach in the country. His ACC record is 65-13 (.833); his overall mark is 124-25 (.832). After a Sweet Sixteen in his first season, he took Duke to the Elite Eight in 2023-24, the Final Four in 2024-25, and the Elite Eight again last season.

Scheyer and Duke took plenty of grief for how that Elite Eight game against UConn ended. As you'll no doubt remember, the Blue Devils built a 19-point lead, UConn rallied, and Cayden Boozer turned the ball over in the final seconds. Braylon Mullins hit a shot for the ages, and that is what everyone remembers.

What people tend to forget is that Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba spent most of the tournament on scooters. Ngongba played against UConn, but he was limited. To add insult to injury, Cameron Boozer suffered multiple orbital and facial fractures around his eye during the game (and played through it).

The two injured starters came off the bench. Ngongba finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Foster also played 22 minutes, took one shot, and finished with 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. People forget that, too.

They also forget that instead of junior Foster getting the ball on the last play, freshman Cayden Boozer did — and he made the kind of mistake a freshman can make.

Next play, next season. That next season is here, and Duke is a very different team.

Cameron Boozer is gone, drafted third overall by the Memphis Grizzlies and after his Summer League play, looking like a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year . Isaiah Evans is in Minnesota. Maliq Brown is a San Antonio Spur. Nik Khamenia transferred to UConn; Darren Harris went to Indiana. They will all be missed.

However, Scheyer has reloaded. Duke will not have Boozer's star power, but last season's injuries may have persuaded Scheyer to build a deeper roster. And we'll start with the returnees, all of whom are quite good.

Foster is back after a brutal spring and has grown into a real leader. We've been calling him captain already, even before the official announcement. He will be one.

Last year he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 24.7 minutes. He shot 44.7 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from three, and a pedestrian 58.2 percent from the line.

He is not an elite athlete. His lateral quickness is only average, and though he averaged just 1.1 turnovers, he is not a natural point guard. He is tough as nails, he takes care of the ball, and he loves being a Blue Devil. This should be his best year, assuming he stays healthy.

His performance against St. John's was sensational, but it was a one-off born of necessity.

Twenty days after surgery, he came off the bench with Duke down 10, having not played five-on-five since the operation. He was not in game shape, and the foot was nowhere close to 100 percent.

Still, it was something of a Willis Reed moment. Foster scored 11 straight points on four consecutive possessions, then got back on the scooter and left the floor with a win. As Bill Raftery might say: onions.

Ngongba also finished the season with a foot injury, but he played well before that point.

The 6-11 big man logged 21.9 minutes a night and averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks. He shot 60.6 percent from the field, 25.8 percent from three, and 66.4 percent from the line.

He is still an underrated passer. Last season he and Cameron Boozer had a knack for finding each other, and Brown got in on it too. All three moved the ball extremely well. Ngongba will have to find new targets, but do not underestimate him.

He is also an elite defender who takes away driving lanes and floaters. He was hitting his stride and looking like a sure first-round pick when the foot trouble started.

At times last year his emotions got the better of him, and that has to improve.

If he stays healthy, he can establish himself as one of the best big men in the country.

Cayden Boozer is back as well. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks. For a guard, the shooting was impressive: 50.0 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from three, and 81.3 percent from the line.

He grew as much as anyone on the team. His challenge now is to prove the glitch against UConn was a fluke. That play will follow him until he shows it does not define him.

When Foster went down in the regular-season finale against UNC, it could have wrecked Duke's March. Instead Boozer rose to the occasion and made the All-ACC Tournament team.

He is a wickedly smart player with a 7-0 wingspan, but there is work to do. The three-point shot was inconsistent and a bit flat. He is not wildly athletic, and he sometimes struggles to create his own shot. Intelligence is a skill, though, and Boozer has it in abundance.

People remember the turnover. They forget that he went 4-for-5 for 15 points, with 6 assists and 5 rebounds, in that same UConn game. That is pretty damn good.

Dame Sarr is back, too. His stat line — 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.4 blocks — does not begin to measure his impact. Sarr is a stunning on-ball defender with rare speed and endurance. Last season he would pick a guy up under the basket and hound him the length of the floor. On one occasion he stole the ball and took off the other way like he was spring-loaded. Honestly, we're not sure the last time we saw someone move that much faster than anyone else on a basketball court. It was breathtaking.

The offense was less clean. He shot 40.4 percent overall and 32.5 percent from deep.

Like Foster and Ngongba, he needs a lot of work at the line, where he hit just 53.2 percent. He also finished poorly in transition, missing far too many chippies. He looks stronger this year, which should help.

Finally, there is Sebastian Wilkins, who redshirted last season. We will find out soon enough where he is.

It probably won't happen, but you could start Duke's five returnees and be immensely competitive.

But there's more. Much more, actually, and we'll start to get into it in Part II.