Duke Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Blue Devils

Season Outlook

In the current climate of the Transfer Portal, it’s often impossible to perfect your rotation but Scheyer has to be largely pleased with what he’ll have this season. There’s not exactly a plethora of experienced pieces, with only a few upperclassman expected to contribute, but there’s still a very solid mix of talent.

First and foremost, getting that crew of sophomores back for a second season was a major offseason victory for the Blue Devils. Filipowski is a national Player of the Year candidate if he can be even better as a sophomore, though Duke is wary of his offseason surgery and hope for no lingering aftereffects. Unlike last year, there aren’t a plethora of young centers on this roster and missing Filipowsi could be quite detrimental.

In the backcourt, the combination of Proctor and Roach will create a nightmare for opposing teams. It could be the perfect duo, especially if Proctor can develop into more of a long-range shooter this season. Throw in some of those new faces in the backcourt and you see why Scheyer is excited, especially with a 5-star like McCain expected to play a major role.

Duke could’ve easily had an entire lineup to replace, but instead get Filipowski, Proctor, and Mitchell all back as a sophomores and add on with one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. If everything goes according to plan and the Blue Devils avoid injury, then this rotation could be one of the strongest by season’s end, especially if the freshmen play up to their potential.

There are always question marks, especially with a second-year head coach and a still very young crew of athletes. Regardless of the age and experience of this roster, Scheyer’s program has been one of the big winners of the offseason, but they need to show that they’re worthy of the hype. Duke certainly looks like the favorite to win another ACC title and could be one of those teams we’re all picking to cut down the nets in early April.