Following a stellar 2024–25 campaign that saw Duke reach the Final Four, the Blue Devils now face a significant roster overhaul with five starters, including projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, heading to the NBA.
Despite these major departures, Head Coach Jon Scheyer has quickly reloaded with a mix of elite recruits and key returning players. As the program looks to maintain its momentum, all eyes turn to Duke’s projected starting lineup for the 2025–26 season—one that blends youth, talent, and emerging leadership in what could be another championship-caliber team.
Predicting Duke Men’s Basketball’s Star-Studded Starting Lineup for the 2025-26 Season
Following their success last season, despite falling out of the National Championship in the Final Four after a comeback from the Houston Cougars, Duke will be looking to build on their success from the 2024-25 season.
Duke won 35 games under Head Coach Scheyer, dominating the ACC Championship and making the final four for the first time under their current Head Coach, led by star player Cooper Flagg.
Which Duke Players Have Declared For The 2025 NFL Draft?
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Blue Devils have had multiple players declare to enter the NBA, the most recent being 7-foot-2 Center Khaman Maluach, who averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 71.2% from the field last season.
“His best years are by far in front of him. “I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do because he’s just scratching the surface. He has an amazing base for who he is as a player, but that skillset will continue to grow.” Scheyer declared on a social media post following the announcement of Maluach’s Draft entry.
Alongside the 7-foot-2 Center, Duke is also set to lose star player Cooper Flagg, who looks all but guaranteed to be the Number One Pick, Tyrese Proctor, and Kon Knueppel, who also declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Blue Devils are also set to lose Sion James and Mason Gillis, who used up their final year of eligibility last season.
Predicting Duke Men’s Basketball’s Starting Lineup for the 2025-26 Season.
Going into 2026, Duke has already managed to land a potential replacement for their star player, Cooper Flag, after earning the commitment of Power Forward Cameron Boozer, the top-ranked prospect in the nation coming out of Christopher Columbus High School.
Patrick Ngongba II – Center
Following Khaman Maluach’s entry to the 2025 NBA Draft, the Blue Devils currently have only one Center on their depth chart: sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II.
Despite mostly sitting out during his freshman season, Ngongba did see some time on the court after Maliq Brown began to suffer from injury problems. The Freshman Center averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds across 10.6 minutes, with the gap left by Maluach, this season could be a significant one for the Sophomore’s development, with the chance to become a starter under Scheyer.
Nikolas Khamenia – Forward.
Duke’s second forward recruit from the 2026 recruitment class, Khamenia, is a 4-star prospect from Harvard Westlake, where he was a McDonald’s All-American selection. Khamenia committed to Duke over UCLA, Arizona, North Carolina, and Gonzaga, among many other schools.
“I have been able to build a perfect relationship with their staff, talking to them pretty often almost every other day. I have talked to coach Scheyer a lot and we have discussed what he sees out of me and how his program can help me develop, and vice versa, how he sees me being able to help them win more games and be a perfect fit in their culture. He has been straight up with me about everything and things he thinks I need to get better at as well.” The Westlake recruit explained this in an interview with ON3 Sports.
Cameron Boozer – Forward.
The top recruit of the 2026 class, Duke needed a strong replacement to fill Cooper Flagg’s shoes. They went big by recruiting one of the top-ranked prospects in the entire nation. One of the most accomplished players in High School Basketball, Boozer was the National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in his final season.
“Boozer has an excellent IQ for the game. His ability to read angles and carve out space using his body and leverage is unmatched among his peers. He can consistently gain an advantage with his balance and footwork, even against bigger and/or more athletic players,” wrote ON3 on his final scouting report going into his first season of College Basketball.
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Isaiah Evans – Shooting Guard.
With Isaiah Evans, who is going into his sophomore season, after announcing his intent to play for Duke next season, the Blue Devils will look to continue his development, after his breakout Freshman season.
Evans was one of the top shooters in the entire nation last season, with a 41.6% 3-point success rate, it was never a case of whether the former 5 star recruit would start in Durham, but if he would return to the program, with Duke earning his recommitment, he will be one of the Blue Devils most experienced players last season among a star studded roster of Freshmen.
Caleb Foster – Point Guard.
Despite recruiting four 4-star prospects, Cayden Boozer, the brother of Duke’s five-star recruit, Cameron, rumors surrounding Caleb Foster’s interest in entering the transfer portal have died down, meaning that the Junior could potentially return to Durham next season.
Foster, who missed most of his Freshman year due to an ankle injury, became a reserve in his sophomore season despite starting the first six games.
Foster averaged 6.3 points, two rebounds, and 1.7 assists in nearly 20 minutes per game in his Freshman and sophomore seasons at Duke. The point Guard has the potential to play a key role for the Blue Devils this season, despite not being a starter last year, giving Scheyer some much-needed experience.
With a star-studded lineup of top prospects, combined with some returning players’ experience, Duke is potentially set to make another deep run in the National Championship next year, despite the losses they suffered ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
