Duke basketball outlook: Jon Scheyer notes similarity to 2015 champs

Roughly 20 percent of Division I scholarship basketball players with eligibility remaining have already entered the transfer portal this year. Fortunately for the Duke basketball staff, signs point to the Blue Devils perhaps being among the lucky few in this respect, with continuity being a strength of next year's squad in Durham.

On Monday afternoon, shortly after captain guard Jeremy Roach announced his entry in the NBA Draft while leaving the door open for a return, Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer talked about that continuity during his chat with Joe Giglio and Joe Ovies on 99.9 The Fan.

Scheyer, who had a successful first year as head coach in leading the Blue Devils to an ACC Tournament title, did not disclose whether star-studded freshman Kyle Filipowski will return. That's the only stay-or-go-pro announcement left on the program's offseason docket, outside of Roach deciding whether to keep his name in the draft.

However, at least indirectly, Scheyer did seem to imply that the Blue Devils might not lose a single player to the transfer portal this go-round.

How so?

He noted similarities between the outlook for next season to Duke's 2014-15 title bunch. In doing so, he mentioned freshman Jaden Schutt, freshman Christian Reeves, and sophomore Jaylen Blakes, three who seem like transfer-portal candidates due to potentially limited minutes next season, as expected members of his 2023-24 roster.

"They had Quinn Cook as a senior," Scheyer reminded Giglio and Ovies about the 2015 team. "They had Amile Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee, Matt Jones, as all guys who had experience. It'll be a similar thing for us next year, where we have Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell, who already said they're coming back. Jeremy still has the decision to make with what he's going to do — the same thing with Kyle.

"But you have guys like Christian Reeves, Jaden Schutt, Jaylen Blakes, who have had experience being part of our program. And I think that's a big deal. And then when you add in the freshman group we have, which we're really excited about, that's a great balance that we're looking for."

The only scholarship player Jon Scheyer didn't mention there is graduate center Ryan Young, who transferred from Northwestern last April with two years of eligibility remaining. That said, Young confirmed to the media following Duke's season-ending loss to Tennessee that he plans to return to Durham for his sixth year in college.

Despite Scheyer's comments, there's still no guarantee that he won't lose a player or two to the transfer portal. Nevertheless, it looks like a lock that the Blue Devils will enjoy loads of experienced Duke basketball players to help guide the five five-star newcomers.

Indeed, the program's immediate future now looks extremely promising.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for daily Duke basketball content.