Predicting Duke Basketball’s Biggest Surprise Breakouts Next Season

If there’s one thing the Duke basketball program has going for it heading into next season, it’s depth.

Head coach Jon Scheyer built what is likely the deepest and most complete roster in college basketball, as he can legitimately go 10 or 11 deep in the rotation with all of the talent coming in.

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It starts with who is coming back. Duke returned three starters from last season in Patrick Ngongba, Caleb Foster, and Dame Sarr, along with backup point guard Cayden Boozer, who averaged 22.8 minutes a night last season as a rookie.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) goes to the basket against UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Scheyer has the skill sets and versatility to throw a myriad of different lineups on the floor, but there isn’t a proven volume scorer on the roster outside of Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell. With Blackwell as the go-to guy offensively, that leaves room for bench pieces to step up into complementary roles.

This isn’t to say these two players will burst onto the scene and average 15-20 points per game, but here are two Blue Devils who could be much bigger factors in the rotation than most expect right now.

Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Sebastian Wilkins (5) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sebastian Wilkins

Sebastian Wilkins redshirted the 2025-26 season at Duke after reclassifying into the 2025 recruiting class, where he was ranked as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports.

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The 6’8″ wing won’t be a guy who has the ball in his hands super often, but he could fill the type of role behind Dame Sarr that Isaiah Evans played during his first year with…

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Publish date : 2026-06-04 12:00:00

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