Duke Basketball: Why Sion James is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

The transition after Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement has gone relatively well for Duke, who last year finished their second season under Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils had a very strong regular season before marching to the Elite Eight, with local rival NC State knocking them out just shy of what could have been Scheyer’s first Final Four. Duke is a Blue Blood program that will always be at or near the top of the basketball world, but what lies in store for year three for Scheyer?

It’s a changing basketball world where blue chip prospects alone might not be enough to win titles and build elite teams. Regardless, Scheyer and company had a lot of offseason work to do after much of last season’s talent left town. Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain were excellent underclassmen who are both off to the NBA, while Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach each transferred for other opportunities. The two biggest returners for the Blue Devils are Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor.

There’s a lot of excitement for Cooper Flagg, the top freshman recruit in the country, as well as other members of the recruiting class like 7-footer Khaman Maluach. Rebuilding the frontcourt was a major focus in the Transfer Portal as well, and it’s why the Blue Devils nabbed Maliq Brown from Syracuse and Mason Gillis out of Purdue. Duke also added former Rice small forward Cameron Sheffield into the fold, though it’s a shooting guard that’s caught the most attention from this class.

That guard is actually Sion James, a Georgia native who found initial collegiate success down at Tulane. He spent four years playing for the Green Wave and gradually developed into a monster for that team. A starter for much of his career, James is coming off a senior season where he put up 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while nailing 38% of his 3-pointers and an impressive 60% clip from inside the arc.

What makes James an attractive addition for the Blue Devils is his versatility and athleticism. Not only are the scoring, rebounding, and assist numbers good, James finished Top 10 in the AAC in steals in each of the last three seasons and had terrific shot blocking figures for a shooting guard. He plays hard and does a little of anything; he’s the prototypical hard worker that can really shine in Durham.

With all the changes to Duke’s rotation, James’s addition becomes important for multiple reasons. Not only did this team greatly boost their backcourt play, but James provided experience and will likely be the only senior on the court at times for the Blue Devils. He’s a unique weapon who should be able to handle the transition from AAC to Duke for his final year of eligibility. Most importantly, he isn’t necessarily going to need to be the key guy for the Blue Devils and there won’t be that tremendous pressure.

While Flagg is a major reason why Duke will start the season near the top of the national rankings, this team will need everyone contributing if they want another deep postseason run. It’ll now be a decade since Duke last won a national title in 2015, but does this team have the talent to bring another trophy to Durham? Will James have another standout season and can he handle life in the ACC?