The NCAA Tournament ended with an epic flameout for Duke, which entered the Final Four as a big favorite to win it all and collapsed late in a loss to Houston. The defeat likely marked the end of Cooper Flagg's college career as everyone around the Blue Devils knew Flagg was destined for one-and-done status as the most hyped college freshman since Zion Williamson in 2019.
Jon Scheyer's team will look quite different as Flagg will likely be joined in the pro ranks by Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, who are both projected as lottery picks after strong freshman seasons. How exactly will Duke's starting five look at the start of the 2025-26 season?
Projected Duke Starting Lineup For The 2025-26 Season
As is tradition, there figures to be a lot of turnover with the Blue Devils, who also graduate seniors Sion James and Mason Gillis, taking a healthy chunk out of their rotation. Assuming no transfers out (which is a dangerous game to play in an era where over 700 players hit the portal when it opened in late March), the lone returning starter for Duke will be guard Tyrese Proctor, their third-leading scorer who will be entering his senior season.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
PG | Tyrese Proctor |
SG | Cayden Boozer |
SF | Shelton Henderson |
PF | Cameron Boozer |
C | Maliq Brown |
Scheyer has built up a strong recruiting class with four of ESPN's Top 100 recruits, headlined by five stars Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the sons of Duke alum and longtime NBA forward Carlos Boozer. Cameron is the more highly-touted player and will probably start at power forward while Cayden has a great shot to line up next to Proctor in the backcourt.
Maliq Brown, who was hampered by an injury suffered in the ACC Tournament, will likely be a strong candidate to start next to Boozer in the frontcourt since he offers experience and rim protection to help guide the freshman through the adjustment to big-time college basketball. Another candidate for playing time down low is four star forward Nicholas Khamenia, who will at the minimum be in the rotation as a freshman.
The biggest question mark that Duke has is at the 3, where four-star freshman Shelton Henderson will likely be a consideration for that starting slot. The Blue Devils could also opt to go a bit smaller at the three by starting Proctor there and plugging Caleb Foster, a key rotation player this season who will be entering his junior year, in at the two.
This projected lineup also doesn't account for any potential additions via the transfer portal, where Duke figures to be a top destination for players looking to try and get deep in the NCAA Tournament. Scheyer has been selective with his portal adds in recent years, looking for complimentary players who can fit into the program he is building, but the three seems like a logical spot for the Blue Devils to add an upperclassmen to provide more experience to another young roster.