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In just over four and a half months, Duke basketball will start the 2024-25 season with a new-look squad hoping to help the Blue Devils make a deep run in March Madness.
Duke won 27 games for the second season in a row under Jon Scheyer, who is entering his third year as head coach. In the months since the Blue Devils’ Elite Eight loss to N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament, Scheyer has seen nine players leave the program.
Seven players from last season’s squad entered the transfer portal and two — Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski — entered the NBA Draft as expected first-round picks.
Duke will have 10 new faces, including a six-player 2024 recruiting class headlined by Cooper Flagg, on this year’s team. Mason Gillis (Purdue), Sion James (Tulane), Maliq Brown (Syracuse) and Cameron Sheffield (Rice) joined the Blue Devils via the transfer portal.
Here’s what the starting lineup could look like when the Blue Devils tip off the 2024-25 season in early November.
Duke basketball starting lineup prediction
Here’s an early starting lineup prediction for Duke to start the 2024-25 season.
Tyrese Proctor
A captain last season, Proctor is expected to carry that same title into his junior year as the Blue Devils’ most experienced player. The 6-foot-5 guard dealt with injuries and inconsistencies as a sophomore, but showed flashes of his defensive prowess, shot making and playmaking. Proctor averaged 10.5 points per game and finished with a team-best 118 assists last year. If Proctor plays at an All-ACC level, Duke will be as dangerous as any team in the country.
Caleb Foster
One of Duke’s “starting six” as a freshman, Foster was starting to find his groove when an ankle injury caused him to miss the most important stretch of the Blue Devils’ season. Like Proctor, the 6-foot-5 sophomore guard knows what Scheyer expects when it comes to leadership within the program. Foster averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 rebounds and 25.4 minutes per game as a freshman. He also shot 40.6% from the 3-point line, a skill Duke will desperately need after the departure of McCain.
Sion James
Scheyer can take multiple routes with the talent on this roster, so the starting lineup could change throughout the season. In attacking the transfer portal, it’s clear Duke’s coaching staff wanted to get bigger and tougher for this season. James, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound graduate transfer, fits that description. James improved his scoring and rebounding numbers in each season at Tulane, averaging 14 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. A versatile defender with the ability to provide rim-rocking finishes, James also knocked down a career-best 38.1% of his 113 attempts from 3-point range as a senior. It won’t take long for Cameron Crazies to fall in love with James’ game.
Cooper Flagg
The hype surrounding Flagg, who could be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will rival the madness that surrounded Zion Williamson in the 2018-19 season. The 6-foot-9 forward has the versatility to play all over the court and the motor to match his skills. Flagg’s defense is his calling card, but he’s more than capable of getting a bucket and creating opportunities for his teammates. With Flagg as the centerpiece, Duke will have as good a chance as anybody at playing in the final game of the season.
Khaman Maluach
Like Flagg, Maluach is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 7-foot-2 freshman from NBA Academy Africa will play for his home country, South Sudan, at the Paris Olympics. With a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach, Maluach has a chance to be one of college basketball’s best rim protectors. Maluach has all the tools to become a star for the Blue Devils before heading to the NBA.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Predicting Duke basketball’s starting lineup for 2024-25 season opener