College Basketball will be here before you know it, so we are looking at different topics around the country to talk about and when diving into the roster for Duke, there is plenty of talent to go around as they have a chance to compete for a national championship. However, when you fully dive into this roster, could those title hopes be strung to the play of two key players? We dive in a bit.
When you talk about Duke this upcoming season and who they are having to replace, the Blue Devils will have plenty of talent to be back in the national picture. You have freshmen Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, and Nikolas Khamenia, all of whom should be able to come in and compete in the ACC right away. Then you have key guys returning in Patrick Ngongba, Darren Harris, and Maliq Brown, all of which will be key pieces to the team’s success.
However, when I look at this roster, there are two familiar faces that I believe could be the difference for Duke, from a strong overall season to a true title contender: Caleb Foster, a 6’5 junior, and Isaiah Evans, a 6’6 sophomore.
Why?
Let’s start with Foster… When you think of past champions or contenders, Duke has seemingly always had a strong point as a leader on the court. Jeremy Roach, Tyus Jones, Tre Jones, and Nolan Smith… all of whom were huge pieces and dependable leaders in helping control the show for Duke. After a strong freshman season in which he started 15 games, averaging 7.9ppg, and averaged nearly 26 minutes per game, Foster took a small step back last year as a sophomore, starting seven games, averaging 4.9ppg, and only 14.1 minutes per game. As a veteran and a player that could be projected as a starter, having Foster take the reins, be that leader and playmaker, and showcase more of his ability to bigger scorer would be a huge lift for this team.
Evans is the other player who will have plenty of eyes, especially with what he showed as a freshman. Knowing the 6’6 sophomore, Evans will bring that same “killer” mindset next season and look to show more of his overall offensive scoring power. He continues to be a huge threat from behind the arc, but many times last year, he was able to capitalize on defenses looking to slow down Cooper Flagg, which allowed Evans to move and find the open spots on the court. Now, Evans will be higher on the scouting report for opponents. He has proven time after time that he can be a prolific scorer and he will have that opportunity to put it on full display, scoring off the bounce, knocking down jumpers, attacking the basket, and mixing it up throughout. With an increased role, Evans has a chance to flourish, and if it all comes together, not only will that open the entire offense more but will also have him rising up the draft ranks.
Diving into this roster for Duke, this will be a team that offers a lot of weapons and depth, as they could bring two separate teams to the court with the roster they have. So, there shouldn’t be much of a dip with substitutions and roster balance, but in my opinion, the play of Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans may play the part of making this team from Top 25 team to true title contenders in the end.