Predicting Duke Basketball’s 3 Most Impactful Players Next Season

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have built arguably the deepest rotation in all of college basketball heading into the 2026-27 season.

It’s a pretty good problem for the Duke Blue Devils to have. There’s a real case to be made that if you took Duke’s 6th to 10th guys and put them in a starting lineup, it would be a top-five starting lineup in the ACC.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Blue Devils will get contributions from everywhere on both sides of the ball, but which guys will truly impact the game the most?

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Let’s predict the Blue Devils’ three most impactful players next season. We will define “impactful” as contributing to winning the most in multiple ways or being the clear No. 1 option in a given aspect of the game.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) shoots against High Point Panthers forward Cam’ron Fletcher (11) during the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. John Blackwell

Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will be the Blue Devils’ No. 1 scoring option offensively, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the former Badger to be a top-three to five scorer in the sport next season.

Blackwell is coming off a junior season at Wisconsin where he averaged 19.1 points per game on 43.0% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from three-point range on 7.3 attempts. He can score at all three levels, create for himself, and he moves off the basketball at a very high level.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the basket against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) during the second half of a…

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Publish date : 2026-07-09 13:00:00

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