Duke Basketball: 5 biggest storylines to watch for 2022-23 season

When it comes to Duke Basketball, an argument can be made that the most important storyline is on the sidelines. The program is going from 5-time national champion and Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski to former player-turned-assistant Jon Scheyer. He takes over a preseason top-10 roster that once again has Final Four expectations.

But while the Blue Devils have a ton of potential, there are also plenty of storylines to watch as well. They’re currently dealing with injuries to both Dariq Whitehead and Derek Lively but the hope is that both will be available for the Champions Classic.

How their roles for this season and others have yet to be determined, which makes Duke such an interesting team to watch. Focusing on the roster, here are some top storylines for the program in 2022-23.

1. Health of key pieces

At the start of official practices, Duke Basketball had to deal with the loss of Whitehead, who underwent foot surgery. The five-star wing prospect has been out since, including the Houston scrimmage this past weekend. He’s currently on a “week-to-week” basis and the expectations are that he won’t be available to start the season.

When fully healthy, Whitehead is projected to start at the three-spot and could end up being the team’s leading scorer this season. He’s one of the few players that can create his own offense and can shoot from deep. His absence could include November 15th versus Kansas and the PK85 Tournament around Thanksgiving.

As for Lively, the five-star freshman and 7’0 center has been dealing with a leg injury in the past couple of weeks as well. His injury has been flying under the radar but after also missing the Houston game, could be questionable for the Nov. 7th matchup with Jacksonville. The good news is that both should definitely be 100% healthy for ACC play and be part of the rotation for the rest of the way.