It’s obviously been hard for Duke fans, hell, basketball fans in general, to not be enamored with everything shiny and new. For Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils, sometimes the best toys are the ones already in your toy box. Getting Cayden Boozer back for a sophomore season to run the Duke offense is a positive. In Boozer you have a steadying presence with a year under his belt and some postseason experience—a player who showed immense growth throughout the season and especially in the last half. His numbers don’t jump off the page at 7.7 points per game, but his 3 assists definitely do, as does his 81% shooting from the free throw line. Boozer will have to use this offseason to improve his shooting to become a dual threat, obviously, but as a floor general who can get downhill, he’s proven that.
With April 21 being the deadline to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal and April 24 being the early entrant NBA deadline, Duke awaits decisions on several key players.
I couldn’t be higher on Year 2 Cayden Boozer.
— JMann_ (@JMannsTakes) April 16, 2026
61% around the rim and 61% on runners (95th percentile).
Made strides with his jumper and made huge strides at the end of the year as an overall player.
Duke retaining Cayden Boozer is obviously a huge plus.
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) April 16, 2026
Gives the Blue Devils a proven ballhandler and floor general, who averaged 13 points, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds as a starter over seven postseason games. Needs to improve as a shooter, but a strong piece for Jon Scheyer.
