There’s always this guessing game every spring and summer about who will start for Duke. One set seems to think it’ll be Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Cayden Boozer, and John Blackwell.
Well, maybe. Some of them certainly will start. However, knowing, as we do, that Jon Scheyer starts with defense first, that may cast a different light on things.
As of now, Duke’s best defenders are probably Ngongba, Sarr, and Caleb Foster. After that?
Boozer came on fast last year, and he improved defensively, but would you rate him ahead of Foster or Sarr on that end?
What about Sebastian Wilkins? No one knows outside of the inner circle, but he’s had a year to master the system.
From there, it’s on to new players. Blackwell is an outstanding offensive guard, but even admits he has work to do on the other end.
Drew Scharnowski has the potential to be a huge defender for Duke. One of the things that people overlook is first just how powerful he already is, and second, how much it will help him to be in an elite training system like Duke has. Would you rule him out?
We wouldn’t.
Then there are the freshmen. Cameron Williams has the length and athleticism to be a monstrous defender. Is he ready for that? It’s hard to know. How about Boumtje Boumtje? He’s been dominant against teenagers, but he’ll have to step up a notch now. Is he ready for that level of defense?
Deron Rippey has immense athletic ability. We heard a podcaster say that he saw Rippey put his chin on the rim recently. Is he a willing defender? We’d expect so, but we won’t know until we do.
Then there’s Bryson Howard, who has the potential to carve out a role somewhat similar to Sarr’s, where he’s just a pitbull defender. Imagine for a moment that you have to bring the ball up and you’re facing Sarr, Foster, and Howard.
That would be exhausting.
We don’t have any inside information, but if you’re Jon Scheyer, having the option to put those three guys on the court at the same time would be tantalizing. Back that up with Ngongba, Williams, Boumtje Boumtje, and Scharnowski, and the attrition over the course of a game is going to be intense.
That said, there’s a lot to balance in a lineup, and we’re sure he’ll figure it out, and most likely in ways that most of us fans haven’t imagined.
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