The Blue Devils still have two more open scholarship spots for the 2024-25 season, but after the Friday commitment of Tulane transfer Sion James, head coach Jon Scheyer might be done. After all, all 11 players currently on the roster for next year can contribute, and there’s no reason to expand the rotation beyond that.
However, with the materials at his disposal now set, the eyes turn toward Scheyer’s next phase: the plan. More accurately, what exactly is it? This roster features four five-star freshmen, two of whom are presumed 2025 lottery picks. There are three starting-caliber transfers, two of whom will have just one year of eligibility left. On top of all of that, there are two returning starters from last season who both averaged more than 20 minutes per game.
There will be a lot of mouths to feed in Durham, and all it takes is one player overachieving or underachieving to change the math. However, with 10 months between now and the 2025 NCAA Tournament, here’s a guess at what Duke’s rotation might look like by March Madness.
Duke’s 2023-24 leader in assists, Proctor will be the smallest player in the rotation next season (barring any late additions). At 6-foot-5 and 183 pounds, the Australian ran a little hot and cold as a shooter during his sophomore campaign. However, he’s still the best passer on Scheyer’s roster. He averaged 3.7 assists last year despite being third among guards in minutes per game and not bringing the ball up the court consistently. With senior captain Jeremy Roach now at Baylor, expect Proctor to run point next season.
If his passing prowess stays where it was last season, with the spacing Duke’s talent will bring, he could easily average more than five assists per game and potentially lead the ACC.
Another competent ball-handler, James averaged 3.0 assists across his four years with Tulane. As a sophomore in 2021-22, he averaged 3.6 dimes while only scoring 7.4 points per game. However, while Proctor’s best shooting work comes near the 3-point line, James compliments him as a slasher. The former Green Wave star shot better than 60% around the rim, where half of his attempts came last season.
That’s not to say James can’t shoot, however. He blossomed from a 28.0% 3-point shooter as a freshman to a 38.1% shooter as a junior. His athleticism, finishing ability, and refined jump shot will make him a nightmare two, but he can execute plays with the ball in his hand or run the offense if Proctor needs a break.
Flagg might be a freshman, but this will be his team next season. The Blue Devils won the sweepstakes for the top recruit in the country and the most anticipated freshman of the last half-decade, and now he’ll be an instant favorite for the Cameron Crazies.
Flagg also offers Scheyer the most flexibility in the starting lineup. At 6-foot-9, the Maine native can smack his forehead on the rim when he jumps, and he averaged 2.5 blocks per game for Montverde Academy last season. If Duke’s coach wants him as a four, he can complement a big like Khaman Maluach. However, Flagg can also shoot from mid-range and distance, and he handles the ball like a guard, averaging 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals as a senior. If Scheyer wants a jumbo lineup, the star can slot in as an oversized three.
Duke fans might need to be a little patient with the South Sudanese star. He could show up and immediately start rejecting shots into the stands, but he looked a little unrefined during showcases like the Nike Hoop Summit. He might start from the beginning of the year, or he might start as a rotational big with his role gradually expanding as the year goes along. Scheyer’s early management of the top-five talent remains one of the biggest questions for next season.
However, what isn’t a question is his role come the postseason. Whether Maluach shows up ready to dominate from day one, no one will know until the season starts. However, if he doesn’t, he will be once late January or early February rolls around and he has 30 or more games under his belt. The 7-foot-1 center is already enforcing his will in the paint during Basketball Africa League games against grown men, and he’s even teased some 3-point shooting. The finished product might be horrifying…for everyone else.
Remember the two different roles Flagg could play next season? This is one of the players most affected by that decision. The 2023-24 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year shot 46.8% from beyond the arc last season, a career-high, and he’s a career 40% shooter from 3-point land. At 6-foot-6, he has the chops to hang around the wing and work as a three.
If Flagg slots in as a power forward (basketball is pretty positionless now, but you know what I mean), Gillis’s perimeter efficiency compliments Proctor and James perfectly. The other two guards are effective from deep, but not terrifying. If Gillis slots in around them, however, suddenly Duke’s 3-point shooting goes from worrisome to the world’s worst game of whack-a-mole.
On the flip side, if Scheyer lets Flagg operate outside of the paint and work as a mid-range guy, or if he lets the freshman star be a Swiss Army knife, Brown can bully opponents inside and force them to respect the entire court. At 6-foot-8, the former Syracuse forward might not register as a ‘dominate the glass’ kind of guy off the bat. However, he averaged more than seven rebounds per game last season and, according to KenPom, led the ACC in effective field-goal percentage. Not only did he lead the conference, he finished with an eFG% of 71.3%. No one else finished above 61.8%.
If you asked right now, the most likely Duke starting lineups next postseason are either Proctor/James/Gillis/Flagg/Maluach or Proctor/James/Flagg/Brown/Maluach. It all depends on whether Scheyer wants to ruin teams with size or perimeter shooting. Either way, whichever one of Gillis or Brown doesn’t start will likely be the first player substituted into the game.
This is one of the hardest players to pin down in the rotation. Last season, Foster started in 15 of the 27 games he played and averaged 25.4 minutes per game. Will he take a step back as a sophomore? At 6-foot-5 and as a 40% 3-point shooter, there’s an easy path to him either running the ball up the court next season or claiming the fifth starting spot that Gillis and Brown will fight for.
However, the backcourt gets a little crowded. Foster is the best shooter in the room, but Proctor is the better facilitator and James is a far better finisher in the paint. As much as Foster’s skillset offers a ridiculous ceiling, I think Duke needs those other two things a little more. However, the North Carolina native’s love for the program shined through as he talked about his decision to not transfer this offseason. I don’t think he’ll mind moving from occasional starter to sixth man, and the ability to spell in a 40% 3-point shooter who averaged two assists per game makes the Jenga game fun, and he can take either Proctor’s role or Gillis’s on the floor.
It’s hard to imagine we’ve gone seven players deep in the 2024-25 rotation and haven’t touched two five-star freshmen, yet, but as mentioned above with Foster, there are more mouths to feed than supply to provide. If any freshman (besides Flagg and Maluach) will work his way into a prominent role, it’ll be Evans. A two-time North Carolina Mr. Basketball honoree who has already traded barbs with both fans and future players for the North Carolina Tar Heels, he’ll be an immediate fan favorite. The lanky 6-foot-6 forward shoots confidently and decisively, and he can slide in effortlessly in multiple spots on the floor.
These three could all start for 90% of teams across the country. In fact, if you tell me any of these three contend for ACC Rookie of the Year honors next season, I’d believe you wholeheartedly. Harris probably has the best chance to work his way into a larger role as a flamethrower guard who can get hot from 3-point range. Knueppel is a smooth forward who just makes the game look a little easier and slower with the ball in his hands, but he’ll have a near-impossible task of standing out among the other wings in the room.
Ngongba might have the most competition of them all as he’ll need to out-hustle Flagg, Brown, and Maluach for a spot as an interior forward. However, there’s a world in which he’s one of the two best freshmen in this class as a 6-foot-11 center who plays physically off the glass and shows the offensive awareness to pass back around. Any of these three names could become 15-20 minute rotational pieces or even starters, but when there are 11 starting-caliber pieces on the same team, some need to wait their turn.
If these three, Evans, and Maliq Brown make up the core of the 2025-26 team? Watch out.