Duke Season Preview

2022-23 Record: 27-9, 14-6 ACC (3rd)

Coach: Jon Scheyer, Second Year

Departures: Dariq Whitehead, W (Draft)

Derrick Lively, C (Draft)

Jacob Grandison, F (Graduation)

Arrivals: Jared McCain, G (Freshman)

Caleb Foster, G (Freshman)

Sean Stewart, F (Freshman)

TJ Power, F (Freshman)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Proctor

SG: Jeremy Roach

SF: Mark Mitchell

PF: Kyle Filipowski

C: Ryan Young

Roster Breakdown

Unlike many recent seasons, the Blue Devils actually return a good deal of talent. While they did produce two first round picks last year, Kyle Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach, and Mark Mitchell all decided to skip the draft and return to Durham for another season. All four guys started over 30 games each for Jon Scheyer and were the top four scorers for the team last season. That's a lot of returning production for the ACC champions. Starting with Filipowski, the big man was the #4 player in the 247Sports Composite Rankings for the class of 2022, and quickly backed that up by putting up 15.1 points, 9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks on his way to earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He impressed a lot of people, myself included, were impressed with his ability to defend on the perimeter, and while his numbers didn't necessarily reflect it, he showed a lot of stretch potentially offensively too, in addition to his ability inside the paint. Proctor was the #27 recruit when he came over from Australia, and while he had some struggles early on, the 6'5" guard quickly found his stride and was one of the best players on the team for the stretch run. From January 11 on, Proctor put up 11 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 41% from the field and 37% from three, which were all better than his season averages. The game really seem to slow down for him, and it unlocked all parts of his game. He is a dynamic playmaker and passer, and has a good pull up game as well, plus his size allows him to be a good defender as well. Roach is actually entering his senior season at Duke, he was also predictably a top 25 recruit back in the 2020 class, and he clearly took a step forward last year. After being more of a bit player in his first two seasons, he made a jump to being the second scoring option, averaging 13.6 points and 3.1 assists while also increasing his three point percentage from 32.2% to 34.3%. He'll be the veteran leader on this team, so he'll be important with his intangibles as well. Finally, Mitchell's counting stats from his freshman year don't jump off the page (9 points and 4.5 rebounds), but the former top 20 recruit makes his impact on the defensive end. Standing 6'8" with great strength and a 7 foot wingspan plus possessing quick feet to guard on the perimeter, he's one of the top defenders in the country and don't be surprised if star wings disappear when they play the Blue Devils. The offense is just a bonus, and he did manage to shoot 35% from three despite not having great form, but he'll get his points in transition and cutting to the rim. Also returning are big men Ryan Young and Christian Reeves. Young transferred from Northwestern prior to last season, and he provides solid front court minutes. He put up 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 17.6 minutes last season, and he'll probably do the exact same thing this year. Reeves is something of an X-factor for the Blue Devils this year. By far the most unheralded recruit in last year's class, ranked 145th nationally, he stands 7'1" and has the physical tools to block shots and grab boards that no one else really has on this roster. Jaden Schutt and Jaylen Blakes return in the backcourt and could carve out roles, as Schutt is a knockdown shooter and Blakes is a strong defender, but given the incoming talent, it may be difficult. Speaking of, Duke has the #2 recruiting class in the country this year, with all four of their incoming players ranking inside the top 20. The top ranked is Jared McCain, who is at #13. The 6'2" combo guard out of California is wired to score, and he has some NBA buzz preseason. Caleb Foster will be competing with him for backcourt minutes, and the #19 recruit in the country offers a little more size and ballhandling ability. He stands at 6'5" and can run point with his playmaking abilities, while also possessing a really strong jump shot. Competing for minutes up front will be Sean Stewart and TJ Power. Ranked 17th and 20th respectively, the forward brings different skill sets from one another as well as Filipowski. Stewart is more of a traditional four man, with his main attributes being his athleticism and rebounding ability. Meanwhile, Power is more skilled in the vein of a point forward type, as he's most known for his passing ability and shooting. All four freshmen are going to play right away and who emerges with the most minutes will be an interesting storyline to follow throughout the season. 

My Thoughts

Duke enters the year as my preseason #1 team in the country. I'm not sure that any team will be able to stop the Blue Devils from getting buckets. Filipowski is going to be an All-American and might just be in the running for National Player of the Year. Tyrese Proctor is a name that fans across the country will be familiar with if they aren't already. He's a wizard with the ball in his hands, and I think he could be in All-American contention as well. I love his game it only took one watch for me to join his fan club. Add in a veteran hand in Roach, who oh by the way scored 13.6 points a game last year, and Jared McCain, Caleb Foster, and TJ Power, and you've got 6 guys that can get their own buckets. Mark Mitchell will lead the team defensively, and Ryan Young and Sean Stewart will clean the glass. I think the pieces fit together really well, and they also offer great lineup versatility. I expect to see a good amount of minutes with Kyle Filipowski at the five this year, with either Power or Stewart at the four, or moving Mitchell up and playing a 3 guard lineup with some combination of Roach, Proctor, McCain, and Foster. You also have Jaylen Blakes and Jaden Schutt who can factor into the mix too, the team is overflowing with talent. The question with this team will be keeping everybody happy. There's a lot of very talented players on this roster, and only so many minutes to go around. Jon Scheyer managed to keep a lot of talent in Durham this season, but with that could come some players grumbling at the end of the bench and throwing off team chemistry. Still, I'm all in on Duke being elite this year, thanks to a ton of talent that I think fits together really well, and their ability to throw a lot of different looks at a team.