The Duke basketball team won’t be short on talent next season, but head coach Jon Scheyer may face challenges figuring out how to get all his top players on the floor at once.
Cameron Boozer, a highly touted freshman, is expected to be the centerpiece of the team. Key returners like Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Pat Ngongba, and Maliq Brown will also play major roles in Duke’s success.
Meanwhile, fans got a glimpse of another exciting newcomer this past month—five-star recruit Nik Khamenia, who represented Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Khamenia impressed during training camp, particularly with his passing skills.
“He’ll be a high-level teammate for Duke,” said ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla after observing Team USA practices. “He’s an excellent passer for a 6-foot-8 player.”
Although his minutes varied during the tournament, Khamenia averaged 15.2 minutes, 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 turnovers per game, helping Team USA secure the gold medal.
There’s potential for Khamenia to see time as a point guard next season, much like how Sion James and Kon Knueppel developed into offensive facilitators. Turnover control will be critical for him in this role, but he showed growth—recording five assists against Cameroon and four more versus Jordan, while cutting his turnovers to just two in the final four games after committing eight in the first three.
Caleb Foster is expected to start the season as Duke’s primary point guard, but if he struggles as he did in his sophomore year, freshmen Cayden Boozer and Nik Khamenia could be called on to step in.