
4. Duke Blue Devils
It’s once again a complete roster turnover for the Blue Devils, with just one non-freshman in the frontcourt. The one player with NCAA Basketball experience is Northwestern transfer Ryan Young, who averaged 9.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg in just 17 mpg off the bench. The 6’10 forward was an efficient post scorer and adds depth to the ACC program but for them to succeed, will need the star freshmen to be great.
That starts with Dereck Lively, the No. 1 incoming freshman in the 2022 class. He’s a 7’1 true center with a pro-ready game, including the ability to score and defend. Lively is the modern center with the athleticism and skillset to be the star of Duke and should have the stats to show it.
Also ranked in the top-5 overall is Kyle Filipowski, a 6’11 forward/center with a great shooting stroke and overall skillset to be just as good a scorer as Lively. There are some questions about how these two freshmen can play alongside each other but regardless, Duke will have some studs inside the throw the ball too.
Besides, the Blue Devils have yet another five-star freshman forward in Mark Mitchell, a 6’8 physical frontcourt player that can defend and rebound at a high level. He’s not as great a scorer as the other two but will impact the game in different ways.
Duke’s frontcourt could have the highest ceiling of anyone but between the new head coach having to make it work and some “fit” concerns, I can’t have them No. 1 on this list. But they should be in the conversation for it.